Shyfted Existence
by Bane Keldare
Summary: After the fall of the Doomsday project, Robotnik is nowhere to be found. Now, Derek Shyfter, one of his experiments, escapes to the outside, unaware of the chaotic fate that awaits him...
1. Prologue: Total Silence

All characters and song lyrics are copyrights of their respective owners.

Derek Shyfter and this particular story concept belong to me.

"Shyfted Existence"

Prologue: "Total Silence"

By Bane Keldare

=====================================

"And I saw my own face…

In the dark and loneliness…

And I saw my own face…

Like a spark…frozen in heaven…"

                        --Fear Factory, "Invisible Wounds"

=====================================

Mobius had seen its fair share of war over the past years.

At first, the Mobians had been at war with the Overlanders. In fact, it was pretty much a war between Overlanders and _non-Overlanders_, considering the nature of Mobians themselves. It wasn't known what had started the war, only the outcome. The Mobians had won, and driven the Overlanders back to wherever they had come from.

King Acorn had won, due to the assistance of a man named Julian. Julian was an Overlander, who escaped persecution by his own people…barely. He was almost dead when Jules and Professor Charles had found him.

It was the biggest mistake ever made in Mobian history.

Julian showed his true colors when the Roboticizer had been completed. Stealing the technology, Julian then took control of Mobotropolis' police force, and quickly overthrew King Acorn through sheer numbers alone.

Cold, metallic darkness swept through the planet then. Julian, under the new name of Dr. Robotnik, used the Roboticizer to change all living creatures into his robotic slaves. Most of the planet had fallen victim to his iron grasp, and only a few rebellion groups had emerged.

It was more than enough.

The resistance members from Knothole took Robotnik down in one fell swoop. After he had completed the Doomsday Project, Robotnik had set his plan into motion to roboticize the last living creatures on the planet. However, two heroes stepped up to stop him, with the help of the Power Stones.

Sonic the Hedgehog, and Princess Sally Acorn destroyed it all.

Using the stones, the two became a force of controlled destruction, breaking the core and causing the entire area to come crashing down…eventually to detonate due to the energy overload.

No one has heard of Robotnik since the assault. Perhaps it was for the best.

But what about those dependent on him? What about those projects he'd now left unfinished? They were now alone, in utter silence.

--------------------

Something was wrong. Derek Shyfter could just feel it.

He'd been in his stasis cell, something he was used to, for a very long time. He hadn't even seen Robotnik for about four days now. Ever since that huge crash…no, he didn't want to think about it.

_Where is he? I…I'm cold…lonely._

The water in the stasis cell hadn't been changed for a long time…it felt stagnant. In fact, Derek wasn't even sure if the purification system of the machine was on. He was just floating in four-day-old water, alone. Beyond the glass of the cell, the room was completely dark, with only the soft radiance of the stasis cell's blue-green light.

_I…I'm scared. What if he's…gone? Was it the resistance? I wouldn't blame them, but…no…I…where is he? I'm…I'm so scared._

A sudden pressure then washed over his head, like a wave of seawater. It rolled over his eyes, and he could feel the sleep coming on. He was confused, but…he wanted to sleep. Maybe then, he'd wake up to something more pleasant.

His dream had left something to be desired, however. All it involved was Derek, sitting in a small circle of light, coming from some unknown source. Everything beyond the light was nothing but darkness.

_"Be not afraid," _a voice spoke. It seemed like it was echoing all around him, yet, at the same time, it sounded like it was in his own head.

"What? Who's there?" Derek called.

_"Be not afraid. Thou art among friends."_

"Who are you? Where am I?"

_"Thou are within thy own mind. Thy own existence."_

"My…existence? Why? Why am I inside my own mind…why are _you_ inside my mind?"

_"Thou must awaken. Thou must live, Derek."_

"I…I do? What's so special about…me?"

_"Thou art one of the few. One of those who can control…it."_

"It? Control what?"

_"Thou shalt find out in thine own time."_

"But how am I connected to anything? I'm just another person."

_"The connections to this world are strong. There are similarities and differences in everything. There is a light for every darkness. A fire for every drop of water. Just as this is true, it is also true that many other kinds of connections like this exist."_

Derek remained silent.

_"The city of darkness, the city of light, and the city that is not. The world of the past, and the world of the future. These are the connections tied to thee, Derek. Thou art at a crossroads."_

"But…how will I know which path is the right one?"

_"That is up to thee. It begins now."_

"What? Right now?!"

_"Thou art about to awaken. Another of the chosen few is here…to awaken you."_

"What? Hey! What the hell's going on?!"

_"Awaken Derek…awaken…"_

Suddenly, the light got stronger, and brighter, until it was overwhelming, blinding.

"Get up!" A harsh voice commanded.

Derek didn't respond, with good reason. He now found himself outside the stasis chamber, the water dripping onto the cold metal ground. Shivers rolled down his arms and forced his chest to contract almost painfully. All the tubes that were connected to him were gone now, oxygen mask and everything. All Derek was wearing was a pair of shorts.

"Here," the voice said, throwing some kind of cloth on Derek.

He used it to dry himself the best he could. When he finished, he looked over toward where the voice came from. What he saw was someone, about his height, wearing a long, brown coat with a large hood that shadowed his face. The cloaked person dropped more clothes on the floor.

"Put these on. You won't get out of here very well if you freeze to death."

Derek did as instructed and put the clothes on. They were decent clothes, and they were the ones he was used to wearing. Black jeans, black boots, a dark blue sweater, and a white, sleeveless trench coat over everything.

"Thanks, but…what's going on?"

"No time to explain. _You _have to get out of Robotropolis."

"But…where will I go?" Derek asked, confused.

"That's none of my concern. Not anymore. Here, take these, too. They'll come in handy should you need to protect yourself."

The figure handed two small blades with horizontal gripped-handles. Derek knew them as katars, short blades used in certain types of martial arts, which were meant to be worn on the fists.

"How…did you know I could use these?"

"I'm an old friend. Nothing more," The figure said, turning to leave.

"Wait! Who are you?"

At the far end of the room, the figure pressed a few buttons, opening the door and shedding light on Derek's "rescuer." The figure placed his hands on both sides of his hood, and pulled it back, revealing a silhouette of a creature with spines on his head. A Mobian. A hedgehog.

"No…you can't be…is it you?" Derek began asking.

"Yeah, it's me. Goodbye Derek." The figure left.

"Wait!" Derek cried. "Wait! Where did you go?! Why did you help me…?"

But the hedgehog was gone.

"…Shadow?" Derek asked the doorway.

Derek thought about running after him, but he didn't know which way Shadow had gone. The light from the doorway was still a bit stunning for him because of the darkness he'd been kept in. Slowly he stepped up toward the doorway, words echoing in his head.

_"A light for every darkness…thou art at a crossroads…thy existence…"_

The light washed over him like healing warmth, showing Derek's face.

Derek's _human_ face.


	2. Dreams of One

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 1: "Dreams of One"

=====================================

"You don't remember me, but I remember you…

I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you…

But who can decide what they dream?

And dream I do…

                        --Evanescence, "Taking Over Me"

=====================================

            It was perhaps the most chaotic thing Sonic had seen in his life.

            That sense of urgency, that rush of adrenaline, it was all so powerful that it became overwhelming as he raced toward the reactor he had planned to blow; the one thing that would stop all of this.

            This fighting…it had to stop.

            Robotic troops were blasting everywhere, trying to take out the overlanders that had swamped their way through Robotropolis. Normally, to the resistance, this would be a welcome sight. The resistance, however, wanted Robotropolis in one piece, not completely destroyed. They knew that these robots were friends and family. Most of them closer than anyone could possibly know.

            Sonic knew what blowing the reactor meant. He knew that not only would it take power out of the entire sector, it would take out most of the overlanders with it, as they were fighting primarily around the reactor's blast radius. The overlanders were helping, yes, but they would be a bother later.

            There was no time for moral implications of mass murder now. Sonic knew what he had to do, and he had to do it now. He was already running, banking left and right around laser bursts, his goal coming closer and closer within reach.

            "Sonic! Slow down!" A voice called.

            Sonic shot his feet out front, skidding to a halt. "Sally…? That you?"

            "Yes, of course it's me! Don't you even remember what the plan was?"

            The hedgehog scratched his head. "Um…blow the reactor, right? You know I'm the only one with enough speed to take that thing out and escape."

            "Right, but…what about him?" Sally pointed.

            Sonic gave a puzzled look, and held his hand up to gaze in the direction she pointed. A lone figure stood, wearing a white trench coat with no sleeves. He turned around to look at the hedgehog, giving an almost pleading look.

            "Who…who's that?" Sonic asked.

            "How the _hell_ could you forget him? For God's sake, Sonic!"

            Sonic looked around confused, when a voice announced itself behind him.

            "You can't expect all hedgehogs to be smart, can ya?"

            "Knuckles?! What the hell are you doing here?!" Sonic shouted over the chaos.

            "I'm here to make sure _he's _safe! Go get him!" The echidna demanded.

            "You should know what happens if he's killed! It's game over! For all of us!" Sally screamed.

            Sonic looked back, as the figure gave a sudden yowl in pain. Crimson sprayed out from his left leg, as the figure fell forward, clutching it in absolute agony.

            "Sonic!" Sally shouted.

            "Sonic!" Knuckles scowled.

            "But…but he's an _overlander! _Why should we…?"

            The figure started to crawl, holding his hand out toward Sonic, emerald green eyes shining brighter than the lasers firing around him.

            "Oh…all right!" Sonic said, dashing in the figure's general direction.

            But he was too late. More crimson flashed on the ground, as the figure's green eyes began to close.

            "S…S…S-Son…S-Son…ic…" He muttered weakly, collapsing to the ground.

            "_Derek!!_" Knuckles shouted, running toward the dead overlander.

            "Derek!! No! No…" Sally gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. "No…" She sobbed.

            "Derek…? That was his name…?" Sonic asked himself, shocked at his inability to save that one life…the one that called out to him so plainly. If he had just gotten there seconds before…

            A white, screaming light flew up from the horizon then. As it reflected in Sonic's eyes, he shouted in Sally's direction, "What's that?!"

            Sally, between sobs, found time to answer. "That…that's what happens…when he gets killed…we were supposed to protect him…and now…everything's gone. Gone in one nuclear flash…"

            "_NUCLEAR?!!"_ Sonic exclaimed.

            "It's over now…there's no escape…we're going to _die,_ Sonic!" Sally said, crying even harder, burying her face in her hands.

            Sonic watched in shocked silence as the light landed a few blocks away, followed by a searing, blinding, white light.

**-----------------------------------------------**

**Knothole Village, May 25**

**Four days after the fall of Robotnik,**

**3:14 AM**

**-----------------------------------------------**

            Sonic heard the front door slam open, but he was too busy focusing on his own breathing to really care about it. Sweat beaded down his face, and he was shaking quite visibly, holding himself as if he were cold.

            "Sonic! Sonic, you woke up the entire village!!" Sally said, running into Sonic's room.

            "S…Sal…Sally?" Sonic stuttered, between raspy breaths.

            The squirrel rushed to the side of Sonic's bed, sitting down next to him. "Hey…hey, what's wrong? Why were you screaming?"

            "I…I…I…. I…..I….I….." 

            Sally was shocked. Never before had she seen such fear in the hedgehog's eyes. He had such supersonic speed, and something minor like a nightmare had frightened him so much, that he was reduced to a mere child. No, even worse. Sonic looked about as panicked as Antoine.

            Not knowing what to say, she just hugged him.

            It seemed to calm him. Sonic's arms finally dropped, then raised back up to return the hug. His breathing began to revert to its normal rhythm, but he still felt very, very cold.

            "Th-thanks, Sal."

            "Ok, now what was wrong? What was so horrible about that dream?"

            Sonic hopped out of the bed and leaned on the nearby windowsill, gazing up at the half-moon. "Sal…do we know anyone named Derek?"

            "Derek? I don't think so, why?"

            "You're _sure? _There isn't some resistance member somewhere named Derek that you maybe met once or twice?"

            "No…Sonic, what's this all about? What was that dream about?"

"That dream…it felt so _real._ There was this overlander named Derek. You kept screaming at me about how we had to protect him. Knuckles was there, too, saying the same thing."

            "What happened?"

            "Derek got shot…first in the leg, and he just reached out to me. I was hesitant…he was an overlander, after all. Then…he got shot again, and died. Then this white flash just came out of nowhere and…it was a nuclear bomb. The last thing I remember was watching your face disappear in the light…I…I…I got so scared. I thought I really lost you."

            Sally shook her head. "Just a stupid nightmare."

            Sonic looked deeply into the empty space. "I don't know. You have no idea how real it was. I heard the screams; I felt the heat of the bomb. I felt the bomb begin to tear me apart as it ripped through Robotropolis."

            "Sonic…"

            The hedgehog whipped around. "Look, I know it seems like another nightmare, but it was apparently enough to wake me up, screaming and panicking."

            Sally pulled out a small device from her side pouch. "Look, if it'll make you feel any better, I'll ask Nicole if she knows anything about this Derek. Nicole, access data on Derek."

            "_Accessing, Sally,"_ Nicole responded, making her usual computational sounds. "_Sally, there are no organisms within Robotropolis marked 'Derek.'"_

            "There, see Sonic? No Derek."

            Sonic sighed in relief. "Thank God…"

            _"Sally,"_ Nicole spoke up, _"There are two matches for the entire database for Derek."_

"Ok…list 'em."

            _"First match: Under "Major projects," "Oil Derrick"_

"I doubt that's it," Sonic shook his head, chuckling slightly.

            _"Second match: Under "Major Experiments," "Derek"_

            Sally hesitated a moment. "Um…go ahead."

            _"The following is a lab journal entry from Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Entry reads as follows:_

_            Derek is truly an amazing find. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully comprehend exactly what his abilities are, but that's why I'm studying him. Ever since his parents passed away, I've been his caretaker, and I don't think he minds at all. He's such a bright kid; he'll probably end up like me one day. Even if I don't get to fully study his abilities, I'll at least have a son I can call my own. I was surprised…when I was exiled from my homeland…Derek followed me! He followed me all the way to Robotropolis. The war was over, but he somehow made it past the borders and got to Mobotropolis all by himself. He was four at the time. How he did it is beyond me. He said that he started walking, and soon, he was outside the city gates, and taken to King Acorn._

_            I told the king who he was, and was granted custody again. I was so happy; Derek was back home._

_            Now, he's getting along great with the friends he's got over here, and he doesn't have to worry about all the oppression I faced back home. No. This is home now. Well, I need to head out; the king wants to talk to me about something._

_                                                                                                --Julian"_

            Sonic wasn't really afraid, but he looked like he was quite amazed.

            "Wow…Ro-buttnik had a kid? Poor kid," he joked.

            "Well, I guess he is out there, somewhere. He's just hidden somewhere amongst Robotnik's files. Nicole, keep browsing the file."

            _"I'm sorry, Sally. This information can not be accessed without proper authorization."_

            "Nicole, c'mon," Sonic winked.

            _"Sorry, Sonic, my man. I can not access the data without the proper password."_

"Damn," Sonic snapped his fingers.

            "You know, I'm sure we could find files or something over at Robotropolis. We're heading there later anyway," Sally suggested.

            "Yeah, you're right. Guess we could give it a shot."

            "You gonna be okay?"

            "Guess so. Night, Sal."

            "G'night, Sonic."

            Sally made her way out the door, closing it gently behind her. Sonic moved over from the window and got back into bed, his head still buzzing with thoughts.

            "Hmm…wonder if he's…really out there?" Sonic asked, dozing off.

**-------------------------------------------------**

**Angel Island, May 25**

**Four days after the fall of Robotnik**

**3:14 AM**

**-------------------------------------------------**

            "Hello?! Anyone there?!" Knuckles the Echidna shouted.

            He was walking down a long stone hallway, wondering just what he was doing there. It seemed to stretch on for an eternity, but that was no surprise. Just seconds ago, he'd gotten a glimpse of the immense castle that was calling him to enter. It didn't smell of anything disturbing…it just smelled _old,_ like it hadn't been occupied in eons.

            "Hello?!!" Knuckles asked again. Silence.

            His sneakers clomped on the ground like he was wearing boots. The castle was old, but it was also very quiet, and able to hold an echo for a long time. Finally, he came upon the entrance to a tower, but was unsure whether to climb it, or to turn left and keep on going.

            "Anyone?!!"

            _"Up here,"_ a voice called.

            Knuckles shot his glance skyward. The voice sounded so familiar. Where was it coming from? Up where?

            Slowly, the echidna opened the door, cringing as the hinges screeched. Inside was a dusty stone stairway that spiraled up the tower. The windows streaked in light, which glared in Knuckles' eyes as he ascended the tower. Finally, reaching the landing at the top, he sighed a breath of relief, catching his breath as he slowly opened the door.

            He stepped out onto the wall, leaning over the parapet at the ground below. Then, he turned his attention toward the large tower protruding from the middle of the castle. Looking up, he could see a light tint of green emanating from the very top.

            "That…is that the emerald?"

            Knuckles raced up the stairway that went up outside the tower, gloved fists pushing slightly on the parapet as he did. He could feel his dreadlocks flying back because of the sheer speed he was running, too. He didn't care though, this was too important. Finally, he reached the top of the tower, and beheld something that confused him outright.

            The Master Emerald.

            Knuckles scratched his head. What the hell was going on? He just left the Master Emerald behind when he came to this creepy place.

            "What's going on?" Knuckles asked himself, looking around.

            The Emerald was floating there, ominously, as its green glow seemed to flow everywhere. Then, Knuckles heard sniffling coming from the other side of the Emerald.

            _"Don't be sad…"_ The Emerald spoke.

            Knuckles slowly walked to the other side, and saw an Overlander, wearing a white trench coat, down on his hands and knees. Tears were falling from his face, as he just sat there, sniffling and wiping his eyes.

            "I'm…nothing but a weapon…that's all I am…" he said.

            "Who…are you?" Knuckles asked.

            _"No…you're something more. Don't be sad…"_ The Emerald comforted, ignoring Knuckles.

            "No…they're going to use me as a weapon…that's what I was _made_ for!" The Overlander said, standing up and leaning over the parapet.

            _"What are you doing?"_

            "Hey, what's going on here?!" Knuckles asked, irritated.

            "I…I don't want to be a weapon…" Derek said, jumping over the edge.

            "Hey!" Knuckles held his hand out, watching the Overlander jump.

            _"What are you waiting for?!"_ The Emerald asked.

            "What…?"

            _"_Never _let your judgment overrule your emotions!"_

Knuckles nodded in silence, and darted over the edge in an attempt to catch the Overlander. He almost caught his hand, but at the last second, the Overlander escaped from his grasp, falling toward the grassland below.

            "No! _No!!_" Knuckles shouted.

            Knuckles snapped awake, almost falling out of his bed as he did so. His heart was pounding severely, and he struggled to keep pace with his breathing. Holding his hand over his heart, he felt and heard it thumping. Resting his head in his gloved hand, he shook it, trying to make sense of that entire dream.

            "What the hell…? Who was that?"

            _"Someone who needs your help,"_ The voice of the Master Emerald said.

            Knuckles whipped his head around, looking at the bright green emerald, as it shed its green light softly around the area. Getting out of his bed, Knuckles walked over to the emerald, in a state of mild shock. The Master Emerald only spoke to him a few times before, and when it did, it was important every time.

            "That…wasn't just a dream, was it?" Knuckles asked.

            _"That, Guardian, was a cry for help. A desperate scream."_

The echidna put his hand on the emerald, hoping that he could get answers out of that somehow, but none came. He didn't expect any, but shook his head again, making a very speculative pose.

            "What should I do?"

            _"There are countless screams sounding all over this planet. However, there is always someone who can hear each and every one of them. This, Guardian, was the scream meant for your ears. This scream could mean more than anything else on this planet. This scream could very well be coming from the planet itself."_

"A scream from the planet…? Mobius is screaming for me?" He asked softly, glancing up at the soft, starry sky.

=================================

"Now I'm here for all to see…

Everything torn out of me…

Too late to drown in all my doubt…

Too much too late to sort things out…"

                        --Gravity Kills, "Here"

=================================

Robotropolis, May 25 

**Four days after the fall of Robotnik**

**1:30 PM**

**--------------------------------------------------------**

            After Robotnik was defeated, all that was left was a powerless Robotropolis for the resistance to clean up. The sky wasn't dark anymore, but instead it was a hazy, creepy gray. The silence wasn't something Sonic was used to around here. It was the first time he'd been here since…that night, and it just felt creepy now. Everything was shut down. The danger was gone.

            It was so…boring.

            "What exactly are we doing here, anyway?" Sonic tapped his foot.

            Sally, watching Nicole scan various things, sighed annoyingly. "We're here to make sure the threat is gone. Robotnik might've survived the explosion, you know."

            "I doubt that. It was _huge._"

            "I don't care. We aren't about to start a clean-up if this place suddenly reactivates around our ears."

            "Yeah, yeah, I know, but it's so _boring_ here."

            Sally nodded. "Agreed."

            _"Sally, life forms have been detected approximately three miles northwest of here. Identities are unconfirmed."_

            "…You want to check it out? Nicole and I have some more scans to do."

            "Yeah! On my way!" Sonic cheered, zooming off toward the northwest.

            "Be careful!!" Sally pleaded.

*                                              *                                              *                                              

            Meanwhile, a very confused Derek Shyfter walked around, looking for something, anything, to help him search for Shadow and Robotnik. It felt like every step he took brought him farther and farther away, as the city grew cold, unforgiving.

            It didn't help that he'd never seen Robotropolis before.

            Robotnik told him that there wasn't anything beyond the control center. Derek was told that the resistance had destroyed everything, and Robotnik was doing everything he could to hold them off. Of course, he didn't call them the resistance. In fact, he didn't even mention any names to him, now that he'd thought about it. Why did he hide all this from him?

            _Why was I kept in the dark this whole time?_

            And then there was Shadow. Why did he come back? Derek hadn't seen Shadow since he was…what, five years old? Maybe six? His features, his attitude, it was indistinguishable, but…he just came back all of a sudden. Now he was gone again, like he only came back to let Derek out, then be on his way again.

            Memories were eluding Derek, too. What happened to them? There was someone else he played with when he was young…but…he couldn't remember her name. He remembered her face plainly. She had this pure white skin…and a smile that made the heaviest rainy day seem sunny. And her hair…a beautiful golden blond. But…what was her name?

            And…how did Shadow play into all of this?

            His thoughts were beginning to go too deep, even for him. He thought about things all the time, and read many files on philosophy and such, but this…this was going almost too far. It was like he was trying to search himself for a file that he didn't want found.

            All of this changed when he heard a strange, piercing sound.

            It sounded like a loud vehicle zooming off at phenomenal speed. The Doppler effect on the sound was very distinct, too. The sound came back again, but this time, it stopped.

            "Hello!!!" A voice called.

            Derek gasped when he heard it. He was startled to hear a voice again…he was told that the outside world was a wasteland…and it sure looked like it. Now, there was contact. There was a chance. The overlander ran toward the source of the voice, and caught a view of the Mobian from behind. Blue…with spines? A hedgehog!

            "You!" Derek shouted.

            Sonic jumped slightly, turning around. "Yeesh, don't _do_…" he paused.

            Derek gave Sonic a puzzling look.

            "You…you're…"

            "Where is he? Do you know where he is?" Derek interrupted.

            Sonic played along. "Where _who_ is?"

            Derek looked down to the ground, and then glanced at the surroundings. Then, his emerald green eyes met Sonic's…that were the same color.

            "Where's Shadow?" Derek asked.


	3. Reactivation

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 2: "Reactivation"

======================================

"You don't know what it's like!

You don't know what it's like!

I feel like nothing at all!

You don't know what it's like…what it's like…"

                        --Econoline Crush, "What It's Like"

======================================

            Robotropolis had always been a city of darkness. It was a city constantly veiled in shadow, under a cloud-covered sky. However, there were darker corners of the city, where even the shadows dared not tread. It was these places that were constantly avoided by the Freedom Fighters…it was these places where Robotnik never wanted to stay.

            It was perfect for Snively.

            _Everything is still intact…excellent._

            Deep within the main command center of Robotropolis, Snively had locked himself away, toiling away at the machinery inside. The computers, fortunately for him, had just come online, and computers were his specialty. The clacking of keys were rolling on and on without any real rhythm. Instead, their sounds just slid together into a perfect symphony of typing. The glow of the monitor was the only illumination in the room, adding to the mood…even if it was lacking in comfort.

            "Uncle, you made it far too easy to take this system…" he muttered.

            "Talking to yourself?" A voice said.

            Snively jumped slightly. "I didn't know you were there. Don't sneak up on me like that!"

            "I'd say that I was sorry, but I'm not. So, I'll skip it."

            Snively growled slightly. "I'm wondering why I even brought you here in the first place."

            "Because…you can't handle an entire empire alone?"

            The little man chuckled, cloak shuddering as he did so. "That's beside the point."

            _Everything's so easy to reprogram. Just rearrange some faulty code…change my name in for my uncle's…cover my tracks incase someone's piggybacking on the signal…_

            "Are you almost done?"

            _Then all I have to do is hit the switch, and I've got an empire. An entire empire._

_            Pre-made…_

_            Ready and waiting…_

_            Batteries included…_

"Look, I don't see _you_ knowing how to crack a system and subvert it. So I'd shut up. I'll have the entire city up and running in about an hour or so…finally. I've only been working on it for…what, three days now?!"

            "Four."

            "Whatever. Point is, the city will be restored to its former glory soon."

            The other figure sighed. "Good. Maybe then, we could look for _him._"

            "Him? Oh, oh, right. Wait…what do you mean 'look for him?!'"

            "He's gone, Snively. Didn't you see him leave?"

            "What?!!" 

            "Oh yeah, right out the front door, too. Weren't you paying attention?"

            Snively's eyes widened. Changing his typing patterns, he pulled up the security camera system; one of the few that were still functional. Changing cameras, he finally came to the room he was looking for. Typing a bit more, he caused the lights in the room to activate, revealing a mostly empty chamber, except for a large tube in the center.

            A stasis cell.

"Derek's…gone?!!"

            "Yes," the voice said, almost sarcastically. "Someone came and let him out…looked sort of like a hedgehog."

            "No…not that blasted hedgehog again!" Snively growled, clenching his fists.

            "I don't think it was Sonic…in fact…this one just walked out. Just like Derek, but he went a different direction."

            "Great…I have _two_ hedgehogs to worry about."

                        *                                  *                                  *

            "I wish I knew who you were talkin' about," Sonic shrugged.

            "Shadow? He's a hedgehog, like you, except he's black. Got red highlights in his fur…?" Derek 

            Sonic shook his head.

            Derek relaxed his arms and let them hang low, drooping his head. "Sorry…guess I just thought…"

            "Hey, it's alright. It was worth a shot, right?"

            "I guess. So…who _are_ you, anyway?"

            "Call me Sonic," the hedgehog winked.

            "Sonic the Hedgehog?"

            "You got it."

            "Good to meet you. My name's—"

            "—Derek, right?" Sonic interrupted.

            Derek's eyes widened. "…Shyfter. How…how did you know…?"

            "Um…well…you see, when Robotropolis shut down, we went through the all the files we could, since the security system was down, and…"

            "You're with the resistance, aren't you?!" Derek pointed.

            "Yeah…what's wrong with that?" Sonic asked, placing his hands on his hips.

            "The Resistance was causing him so much trouble…he told me they destroyed _everything_, they made it a wasteland." Derek looked around. "Well, he was right. Quite a wasteland you made here."

            "Hold on! We were fighting Robotnik to stop him! Do you even _know_ the horrors he caused?! The lives he hurt and severed?!"

            Derek gave a stunned, hurt look, as Sonic's eyes widened in realization.

            "Never had a clue, huh?"

            "What? No…you're wrong…he wasn't like that!"

            "You're really Robotnik's kid, all right."

            "Robotnik?"

            Sonic blinked. "Robotnik. _Dr._ Robotnik?"

            "Um…"

            "Oh man…um…hmm. His real name's Julian."

            "What?! No…Julian's not like that! He…he was so nice to me."

            "Did he ever let you go outside?"

            Derek shook his head.

            "Did he ever let you watch outside security?"

            Again, Derek shook his head no.

            Sonic sighed. "I really hate to do this to you, but...Robot…_Julian_…isn't what you think he is. He may have been nice to you, but here, on the outside, he's been doing horrible things. Listen, we have videos, documents, and pictures. Do you even know what the Roboticizer _is?_"

            "Yeah. It was Julian's invention to keep elderly people from dying."

            "It took away their free will, Derek. And it was my uncle's invention."

            "I…I…"

            Sonic held out his hand and waved it. "Sorry, you didn't know. I need to stop getting so wrapped up in this. Look, fact is, Robotnik or Julian, whichever you prefer, he was evil. He was taking over this continent with his technology, destroying wildlife, turning our families into robots."

            Derek didn't respond. Instead, he just gave a sad look at the ground, sitting down on a large piece of debris.

            "I…I thought so. He…kept me in there for so long, I…just thought that he was right. I mean…why would he let me out if there was nothing out here?"

            "But that's not true. _We_ were out here," Sonic comforted.

            "I know. Why would he let me out here? Why would I let my own son out in all of this if I had one? This…this place just isn't…it's too unreal."

            _Now I know…I know why he didn't tell me anything…_

            "He…didn't want me to experience all this…that's why," Derek shook his head, resting his temple on his hand. "I always asked why he didn't tell me…but…now I know. I know…" His eyes were now turning slightly misty.

            Sonic, feeling slightly uncomfortable, did the only thing he could do. Placing his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in…I'm surprised you didn't get at least a few clues. Anyway, don't let it get you down."

            "Well…it's not just all this…Julian…he was so kind to me. I imagine you never saw that side of him, did you?"

            Sonic shook his head. "Nope…he wasn't nice to Snively, even. His own nephew."

            "Thought so. I…sorry…it's just that every time I try to piece everything together, something doesn't fit quite right…like the pieces are too big for the puzzle."

            "I know…like I said, it's a lot to take in. Listen, why don't I take you back to Knothole…there's videos and pictures there we could show you. Let you see what _we've_ experienced. Besides, you probably need a place to stay.

            Derek rubbed his eyes and glanced up at the hedgehog. "Okay," he nodded.

                        *                                  *                                  *

            "Sally! Sally!!" Called a robotic voice.

            The squirrel jumped, turning around. "Chuck?! What's wrong?"

            "Sally!" The robotic hedgehog said in desperation, "Good thing I found you. Where's Sonic?"

            "He's farther that way…to the northwest."

            "Oh no. Listen, you two need to get out of the city as fast as you can!"

            "Why? Chuck…I don't understand."

            "Sorry, but…I hacked into the computer files and snooped around the command center. Snively's in there! He's commandeering the system! He's re-routing power!"

            "What?! But…why?"

            "Don't you get it?! That little weasel's always had his greedy eyes on power, and now that Robotnik's gone, he's going to get it! He's going to re-activate Robotropolis!"

            Sally gasped. All that hard work seemed so pointless now. In the midst of the celebration, nobody planned for anything like this. No one planned for the city to come back, only with a different ruler. Maybe he'd be better than Robotnik? Maybe he'd be worse?

            "No…Sonic! We've got to get him!"

            "I'll go! You need to get back to Knothole as soon as you can! If the city reactivates, I can just blend in. Go! I'll be fine!" Chuck commanded, running toward the northwest.

            Sally nodded, and headed back toward the Great Forest.

            Chuck's metallic legs had one benefit at least…strength. He could run as much as he could without really getting fatigued, although he felt like he should at times.

            "Gotta…find Sonic…"

            The silence was broken when he heard a distant sound rumbling closer, and closer. It sounded like a car of some sort. Turning to face it, he saw a figure riding fast—recklessly fast—toward him on a motorcycle. It rode to the right of Chuck, and skidded to a halt just in front of the hedgehog.

            Chuck just glared at the figure. He was wearing a helmet that blocked his face, but his most distinguishing feature was his red trench coat. It draped down to his ankles, but was held tight by the katana sheathed on the man's back.

            Slowly the rider removed his helmet, revealing a black-furred face. A hedgehog.

            "You! You're…but…wait…are you?"

            The hedgehog nodded. "Yeah, it's me."

            "But…your fur's all black…we thought you were…"

            "I know. I know. I came back after a long time of being away. Sorry…I…I was scared."

            "Scared. Just like back then. You were afraid you'd never fit in," Chuck shook his head.

            "Well, now I don't care if I do or don't. I wanted to come back to you. I wanted to come back to all of you. I'm…still scared, but…"

            "Look, I have to be honest with you. You have _horrible_ timing. This city is about to reactivate, and Sonic's up there in the middle of it!"

            "Sonic's here? Where?!"

            "Northwest!"

            The hedgehog put his helmet back on and mounted his bike once again.

            "Thanks, Uncle Chuck," The hedgehog gave a thumbs-up, and zoomed off toward the northwest.

================================

"I don't want to be part of the scenery…

I've got to break through all the machinery…

                        --Gravity Kills, "Breakdown"

================================

            "Say, Derek…" Sonic asked, as the two were making their way back to Sally's location.

            "Yeah?"

            "What are those? They look like knives or something," Sonic pointed at Derek's back.

            "These?" Derek brandished his two weapons. "These are katars."

            "Katars? What, they like some kinda claw or something?"

            "Yeah, they're used in martial arts…I've been using them for awhile now. Never found any practical use though, being locked up inside and all."

            Sonic nodded. "Yeah, must've been boring there."

            "Oh no, there was plenty of stuff to read. Books with stories, books about history, philosophy…"

            The hedgehog stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Ugh…like I said. _Boring._"

            Derek chuckled. "Yeah…I guess—"

            "Shh!" Sonic shushed, holding his arm out to the side. "I heard…something."

            They both looked around, the silence crashing all around their ears. Low hums and high-pitched whirrs began to rise in volume…and in pitch. It sounded like something was starting up again.

            "Is that…?"

            "No…_no!_ It can't be!" Sonic yelled.

            "What's going on?!!"

            "It sounds like the place is…turning back on! No!!!"

            "Turning back on? What?"

            Loud thunks and crashes sounded all around them in clamor now. The city was returning to life.. The lights, once out, were coming back on. The machinery…it was all reactivating.

            "_Systems restored…systems restored…protocols reloaded…systems restored…protocols reloaded…programming restored…"_ Came several robotic voices.

            Swat-bots.

            "Derek! We gotta get out of here!!" Sonic shouted.

            "_Hedgehog…priority one. Hedgehog…priority one…"_

"Hedgehog…? They're after _you?!_" Derek yelled.

            "Yeah! C'mon!!!" Sonic pointed.

            The two took off southeast, ducking between alleys and dodging the laser fire. Derek was the more worried of the two…he'd never done anything like this before. He still held his katars, but he was finding himself almost too scared to use them. Just run…that's what he kept telling himself.

            But then, the laser fire stopped, for a brief moment.

            Sonic took off ahead of Derek who stopped in front of a Swat-bot to see why they stopped their pursuit. Sonic skidded and turned around. "Derek! What the hell…"

            "They stopped…why?" Derek looked puzzled.

            _"Priorities and protocols reset."_

            The Swat-bot reactivated once more.

            _"Shyfter…priority one. Capture mode."_

            "What?!" Derek said, trying to jump back. He couldn't though; the bot already had a firm grip on Derek's arm. "Let me go!!"

            "Derek!!" Sonic shouted, dashing toward the bot and delivering a devastating jump kick. The bot released Derek, but the two were now surrounded.

            "What's going on?! Now they're after _me!_" Derek said.

            "Yeah, but the difference is, they wanted me dead! They want _you_ alive!" Sonic shouted, charging the closest bot and kicking it in the head. His powerful legs were enough to knock the head clean off. "We gotta get past 'em and get back to Sally!"

            Derek stopped panicking even before Sonic started speaking. It was something he'd only experienced once before, but…now he had a reason for it. The last time, he completed his training exercise in half the time. Now…

            Sonic didn't really notice, but Derek's face had lost all emotion. In fact, the Overlander was taking quite a neutral stance, until he flashed his eyes at the nearest Swat-bot.

            "Not this time," Derek said, in a voice unlike his own.

            The Overlander charged the bot, slamming his right katar in to the bot's chest. Then, after forcing his left katar into the head, he pulled out the right one, jumped, and delivered a spin kick, knocking the head off; the robot to slumped to the ground. After landing, he immediately performed a front flip, kicking another bot in the head. Spinning around, he drove his right katar, followed by his left, into the robot's neck, severing the head.

            Sonic used his traditional fighting-dancing combo he'd always used. Resting on his hands, he swept both his legs into the nearest bot's knees, forcing it to buckle and fall sideways. Shifting his weight, the hedgehog turned upside-down on one hand, and then pushed off the ground. After landing, he flipped once more and landed on the bot's head, crushing it under his weight.

            Slashing hard with his katars, Derek severed the arms of the next bot, chuckling slightly as it tried to capture Derek without the means to do so. Slicing off the legs, Derek then pushed the bot over, still chuckling. Another bot came then, and Derek thrust both blades into its chest. After jumping and kicking off the bot, Derek flipped forward, and when he was right side up again, he crossed his katars and slashed outward, leaving a deep "X" cut into the bot. Electricity crackled within the robot, and it fell backwards from shorting out.

            "_Capture mode terminated…Kill mode…on._" The last bot stated.

            Sonic's eyes widened. "Derek!!"

            Derek blinked, emotion suddenly returning to his face and eyes. Instinctively, he ran away from the bot as fast as he could, holding the back of his head in an attempt to avoid the laser fire. Unfortunately, he came to a dead end, with no chance of turning around.

            "Derek!!" Sonic shouted, finding himself unable to act.

            The bot readied its arm blaster. "_Too easy,_" it stated.

            "No…" Derek said, a strange sensation washing over him. 

            Sonic felt it too, but only slightly. He felt like the air around him was being pushed around, rearranged to make some new pattern altogether. But it wasn't just the air, if felt like _everything_ was moving. The air, the ground, space, time, all felt like they were going somewhere that was nigh impossible.

            The bot fired three blasts, their red light illuminating Sonic's face.

            "_No!!!!_" Derek screamed, holding the sides of his head and ducking.

            The sensation got even stronger now. Now the world wasn't just moving somewhere else, it felt like it was _rushing_ to do it. It felt like everything wanted this to happen with such fervor that it was doing everything in its power to do so.

            The three blasts, initially aimed for Derek's head, veered off course. They embedded in the wall about two to three feet higher than their original target.

            "What the…?" Sonic gazed in awe.

            A loud "thunk" sounded as the bot fell over. It looked like there was some kind of blade in its back…like a sword or something. The sound of a motorcycle roared closer and closer, coming into view. Skidding to a halt, the rider on the bike jumped, using the force of his momentum to rocket him forward. Landing on the bot, he pulled the sword free and sheathed it again.

            Derek, still trembling, looked up at his rescuer as he took off his helmet. The face of a black hedgehog was the only thing he could make out, his vision blurring from exhaustion.

            "Sh…Shadow…?" He outstretched his hand, and then collapsed to the ground.

            "Derek!" Sonic rushed to the Overlander's side, picking him up and cradling his head in his arms. "Derek…you okay?! Derek?"

            "Is he okay?" The rider asked.

            Sonic shot him a glance. "You…are you Shadow?"

            "I…"

            "This guy's looking for someone named Shadow. Is that you?!"

            The rider shook his head. "No idea what you're talking about. My name's Bane."

            Sonic gave a confused look. "Bane? You're kidding, right? What kinda name is Bane…?"

            "Sonic! Sonic my boy!" Chuck shouted from behind Bane.

            "Uncle Chuck?!" Sonic gasped.

            "Sonic…sorry…tried to get here as fast as you could…but I guess I was too late."

            "Don't worry about it, Unc."

            "Who's that you got there? Oh my…is that…?"

            "His name's Derek. Ring any bells?"

            "Well…I never knew his name…I always called him the 'boy in the bubble," myself."

            "'Boy in the bubble?'"

            "Yeah. Robotnik kept him in a stasis cell when he slept. I never knew why, but I didn't want to wake him up and find out, either."

            "Uncle chuck," Bane spoke up, "did Snively reactivate the town?"

            The robotic hedgehog nodded. "Yeah, it was him. Definitely him."

            "Wait, wait, wait…did you just call him _Uncle_ Chuck?!" Sonic pointed at Bane.

            "Yeah…why? Why wouldn't I?"  
            Chuck gave Sonic a puzzled look. "Sonic, don't you recognize him? Sure, his fur's black instead, but doesn't he look strikingly familiar?"

            Sonic shook his head.

            "He came back after all these years! He's been gone for so long…I guess maybe you don't remember him."

            Sonic looked away, trying to piece together who this hedgehog was. His face looked familiar…like his. Emerald green eyes, too.

            "He's your brother, Sonic," Chuck explained.


	4. I Never Knew

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 3: "I Never Knew…"

==========================================

"Everywhere I go…there's something that I really need…

Everyone I know…is someone that I want to be…

Even though…I don't really know me…

I better pick it up…before I let it slip away…

I better stick it out…before I take another day…

Hand to mouth…and every single word I say fades out…

                        --Vertical Horizon, "Echo"

==========================================

Angel Island, May 25 

**2:40 PM**

**----------------------------**

            Sitting peacefully in front of the Master Emerald, Knuckles the Echidna was meditating deeply.

            It was something he'd long practiced. Meditation was the one thing he enjoyed doing with his day, since guarding the emerald was quite a boring job. Nobody really tried to get it, because nobody knew it existed. And if they did, they had to get onto the floating island to begin with.

            The emerald's beautiful sounds were ringing in Knuckles' ear, adding to the peaceful atmosphere that fell all around. 

            _"NO!!!"_ A voice echoed deep in the echidna's mind.

            The scream threw Knuckles' sense of balance off completely. He knew he was having a vision now…but there was a sensation present, too. It felt very odd, like the air, the trees, the birds, and the entire _island_ was changing.

            The vision of a SWAT-bot firing three laser bursts filled his mind, the blasts flying in front of Sonic's illuminated face.

            _Sonic?!_ Knuckles asked himself.

            The vision was playing in slow motion, strangely enough. Knuckles watched in horror, as the lasers streaked toward an overlander, in a white trench coat, no sleeves. Knuckles recognized the person immediately…he'd dreamed about him the night before.

            The lasers struck their target…the Overlander's eyes wide with shock. His body recoiled as each round hit his chest. When all was said and done, the Overlander gave one final breath. _"Sonic…"_

            _"Derek! No!!!"_ Sonic's voice screamed.

            _Derek…?_

            Knuckles felt completely powerless as the Overlander slid down the wall, landed on the ground, and looked off to the side; his eyes in a dead stare.

            _No…_

The world seemed to flash again as Knuckles game out of his meditation.

            "Derek?!" Knuckles stood up, looking around for what he knew was not there.

            _"So…you saw it too,"_ The Master Emerald's voice spoke.

            "What was that? Derek…what happened to that kid?"

            _"I don't know if I should tell you…it's far too much to comprehend."_

"I don't care! Is Derek alive or dead?!"

            _"He is alive."_

            "Alright, now _how_ did he survive that?!"

            _"That is what is hard to comprehend."_

            The echidna crossed his arms.

            _"That, Knuckles…was what was _supposed_ to happen."_

Robotropolis, May 25 

**2:45 PM**

**-----------------------------**

            "Uncle Chuck…you've gotta be kidding me…" Sonic shook his head.

            The robotic hedgehog mimicked Sonic. "No, I'm not. Sonic…don't tell me you…you…forgot?"

            "Look, it's not a big deal, just forget it…" Bane said.

            "No! Bane, if that's what you're going by, don't start falling behind like you always did."

            "Uncle Chuck, seriously, let's drop it, at least for now. We've all got to get out of the city."

            Sonic tried to lift Derek. "Ugh…this guy's way too heavy for me to carry."

            Bane pointed to his motorcycle. "I could take him. I know where Knothole is."

            "You _know_ where it is?!" Sonic asked, surprised.

            "Yeah. Believe it or not, I'm a freedom fighter, like you. I was even with Lupe's tribe for awhile, and I was there when _you_ arrived…but I guess you didn't see me."

            "Nope. Well…brother or not, you're a freedom fighter, so I guess I can at least trust you. Here, help me get Derek on the bike."

            The three hedgehogs struggled to lift Derek on the seat. He was an overlander, and even though he was just slightly taller than Sonic, he was much heavier than the others. Even Chuck weighed less than he did. After he was placed there, Bane hopped on the seat behind him, revving the engine loudly.

            Sonic grabbed Chuck by the wrist. "Ok, meet at Knothole! Make sure you get out! I don't want to lose him!" Sonic commanded.

            Bane put his helmet on Derek's head, and gave a mild salute. "Will do, chief."

            The hedgehogs sped off, as Bane revved the engine a couple more times.

            "Alright, let's get you back to Knothole."

            The bike lurched forward, and slowly accelerated. Bane shifted both their weights in order to bank the bike, turning to the direction Sonic had just headed. Revving the engine one more time, Bane took off, trench coat flapping in the breeze like a crimson flag.

            "Get through this city? Please…like it's hard."

            The bike tore through the streets of Robotropolis, Bane and Derek passing SWAT-bot after SWAT-bot, setting off their defense protocols about three seconds too late. The bike was approaching its top speed, about 105 mph. It wasn't the fastest thing around, but its acceleration and turning were what caused Bane to enjoy riding it.

            After quite awhile, Bane could tell he was approaching the end of the city, the large steel wall was coming into view. The hedgehog spotted a large exhaust pipe running up the side of the wall at an angle, and knew what he had to do.

            Pulling the nose of the bike up, he hit a smaller obstacle and leapt onto the two-foot wide pipe. Still pulling on the nose, he flew over the outer wall of Robotropolis, the landing shaking the both of them up. Derek, however, remained unconscious.

            "Now _that_ was fun," Bane chuckled, riding into the Great Forest.

Knothole Village, May 25 

**3:00 PM**

**---------------------------------**

            Sonic paced around his hut, tapping his foot nervously whenever he stopped.

            "Unc…is he really my brother?"

            Chuck sighed, knowing the conversation was inevitable. "Yep, your twin brother. You might not remember him though. You two got separated when Robotnik took the capitol, I'm guessing."

            Crossing his arms, Sonic tried really hard to remember having a brother. "But…I don't even remember him from when I was five."

            "That, my boy, is because you never really played with him."

            "What?"

            "Oh yeah…he wanted to play with you, and Sally, and the others all the time, but nobody wanted to play with him. Called him a loser all the time."

            The blue hedgehog sat down on the couch. "I…urg…it's so damn confusing!"

            "I know, I know. Look, I'm sure there's videos around here somewhere."

            "I mean, I'm sure he would've come back by now, right?!"

            Chuck shot Sonic a scornful glance. "Would you?"

            Sonic shook his head, giving a slightly hurt look.

            "Now…what I'm wondering is why his fur's all black. I thought he had blue fur, like you."

            "Yeah."

            The distant sound of an engine grew louder and louder, roaring through Knothole before coming to a stop in front of Sonic's hut. Sonic raced outside, making it within milliseconds.

            "You take _way_ too long!" He pointed.

            Bane shrugged. "Sorry, this thing only goes so fast. Having another body on the bike doesn't help much, either."

            The three hedgehogs struggled again to lift Derek. Groaning, they managed to plop him down on Sonic's couch, giving a heavy sigh of relief when it was over. Bane started outside, but the quick one darted in front of the door.

            "Nope, sorry. I want some answers."

            Bane closed his eyes, heart beginning to pound faster. "O…ok."

            The three sat down on the floor of the hut, as Chuck cleared his throat.

            "Ok…I know this is confusing and hard for both of you, but it's gotta be done."

            "Yeah," Sonic agreed.

            Bane silently nodded his head.

            "Man…" Chuck stopped himself. "…Bane. What happened to you when Robotnik took over Mobotropolis?"

            "You want the long story, or the short one?"

            "Whatever you want to tell us, " Chuck nodded.

            "…The city was in complete panic when I found out what was going on. I don't remember much of what I did, or how I got where, but I remember someone scooped me up in his arms and carried me out of the city. He ran back in, but I was dropped off with a group making running from Mobotropolis. I stayed with them until I was seven…then joined up with a clan farther south. I stayed with them for…what…six more years?"

            Sonic and Chuck nodded, acting like they knew.

            "After that…they got disbanded. I went with the survivors and joined Lupe's clan for a while. After Robotnik fell, I felt it was a good time to come back here. I'm going to be honest here; I had no idea how well received I'd be, I understand if you have questions."

            Scratching nervously behind his ears, Sonic spoke up. "So…um…why's your fur black? If you're my brother, it'd be blue, right?"

            "Yeah…it was blue. I changed it. The first resistance group had a doctor there who excelled in nano-technology as well. He created a sort of "permanent dye" for hair and fur…we used it mainly to disguise ourselves. I used it for…a personal reason."

            "And…that was?" Chuck inquired.

            "No…I don't want to…" Bane started blushing.

            Sonic crossed his arms.

            "Don't make me…it's so pathetic…"

            "Why did you change your fur color?" Sonic asked.

            The black hedgehog looked to the floor in dismay. His hands were shaking visibly now. It was very obvious that he was afraid. It was the fear of a brother being in trouble with his sibling.

            It was the fear of being unable to belong.

            "Because…I didn't want…to be you…" Bane looked at Sonic.

            Sonic blinked. "…What?"

            "When we were kids…I always wanted to play with you guys…remember? Sally was always the princess, you were always the knight…I wanted to play, but you never let me. You wanted me to go away, and if I ever was allowed to play, I was a peasant…or the monster that everyone had to whack."

            Sonic's eyebrows pressed together in worry.

            "It…just got so disheartening, you know? I tried to fit in, but I never had any friends. I didn't understand it…until I heard it."

            "Heard what?" Chuck raised an eyebrow.

            "'Impostor,'" Bane answered, "they kept calling me an impostor."

            Sonic's jaw dropped.

            "Sonic had speed, he was cool, outgoing. I was quieter, more humble. We looked so much alike that I was called an impostor…cause I wasn't the cool one. Everyone just wanted me to go away…they wanted me gone."

            "That…that's horrible," Chuck gazed in shock.

            "So…when I heard about the permanent dye change…I did it. Changed my name, too."

            Sonic looked like he'd just watched a friend die. The tears were there, but they just weren't coming out. His memory, although fragmented, began to piece itself together again. He could hear voices of children…no. This wasn't his memory from his childhood.

            It was his memory from when he and Sally traveled back in time.

            "I…I saw this. I didn't believe it when I saw it, either," Sonic shook his head.

            Chuck turned his gaze towards Sonic's green eyes. "You…remember?"

            "No…see, back when Sally and me went back through time…we were in Mobotropolis before the big takeover. We split up and…I found me and her back when we were younger. We were playing castle…and someone who looked just like me came up and started asking 'can I play?'"

            The two remained silent.

            "Me…the young me…said no. Said he wasn't cool enough. I was actually kinda surprised…didn't think I was such a brat when I was a kid. I…I did that to you, didn't I?"

            Bane nodded.

            "Well…when Robotnik took over, I…left Sally for just a brief second. Just a second."

            "Yeah?"

            "I…picked up the poor little guy…got him with a group and told them to take care of the guy…I…I was just…did I…?"

            Chuck looked between the two brothers, as they gazed at each other in awe.

            "You…were the one who got me out…?" Bane asked.

            "Yeah…you were crying, so I guess you couldn't see what was going on."

            "I…I…" Bane shook his head. "See…that's why I didn't want to tell you…I told you it was a pathetic reason. Now I feel even worse for doin' it."

            "Don't. Don't feel bad about it."

            Something came over Sonic then…a sensation of insight from out of nowhere. It was like something in his brain clicked. Like it was overlooked again, and again, and again, but this time it just fell into place. Here he was…Sonic's brother. Sonic's brother who he always put down, the brother he'd never seen for years. Many years. _Too_ many years.

His heart, normally beating at a fast pace, was increasing in tempo, a minor heat wave flushing over his face as he thought about what to say next.

Then, Bane heard something he never thought he'd hear again.

            "…Manic," Sonic nodded.

            "What…did you call me?"

            "I called you Manic. That's your name, right? Your real name?"

            Bane shook his head. "I never mentioned my name when I was being carried out."

            Sonic chuckled. "I know. I just now remembered. You're my brother, all right. I remember now. Details are a bit fuzzy, but Buttnik has that effect on people."

            Bane snickered and stood up, a smile blazing across his face now.

            "Sonic…"

            The blue hedgehog stood up and took a few steps forward.

            "Bane…I think I'll call you that from now on. Suits ya better."

            Bane looked into Sonic's eyes…they were higher up than his…he was only an inch shorter, but it showed. Those eyes…emerald green just like his.

            Sonic wrapped his arms around Bane, gripping his coat and squeezing tightly. Surprised, Bane's smile grew wider as he strengthened the embrace with his own arms.

            "Welcome home, Bane," Sonic smiled. "Welcome home."

==================================

"Don't let it end up this way.

Don't spend another night afraid,

Don't let it end up this way.

Hey…"

                        --Vertical Horizon, "It's Over"

==================================

            _"Have you decided?"_

            Derek looked around, confused, scared.

            _"Do you know where your path will lead?"_

The Overlander was standing in the middle of a four-way crossroads. The grass from the fields jutted up like short walls over the road, and the entire meadow seemed to sway in rhythm as the wind forced it to dance.

            Derek looked around, scanning the horizon. Holding his hand over his eyes to shield them, he tried to focus on any particular direction…but he just couldn't decide.

            _"It's a big decision. Take your time."_

Off to the left, the path just kept on going and going, twisting around as it went up a long hill, the horizon ending there. The right path was the same way, but it led into a forest. And ahead of him, the road was perfectly straight. 

            He was confused at this road…it didn't seem natural. It seemed like it was built specifically for a purpose, rather than a path that was naturally treaded down. He kept looking down this road, trying to find something, _anything_.

            That was when the figure appeared.

            "What the…?" Derek said, looking harder.

            Squinting his eyes, his focus sharpened on the object in question. It was indeed a traveler, walking alone, and with a steady pace. He could make out the color black…but it wasn't until he saw the spine structure that he knew who it was.

            Shadow.

            "Wait!!" Derek shouted, running down the road.

            _"Wouldn't go that way if I were you. Nothing but trouble down that road."_

            "Shadow? Is that…you?"

            _"Besides, you'll only get in my way. Sorry, but you don't need me anymore."_

"Shadow! Where did you go?"

            _"Nowhere you need to be worried about."_

            Derek clenched his fist in both sadness and anger. Didn't need him anymore? That's not what this was about…he didn't _need_ Shadow…he wanted him. He wanted Shadow to be there again.

            No. He wasn't going to let Shadow walk away again.

            So Derek started to run. He just ran…he wasn't looking back anymore. The thought of different roads was nothing to him now; he didn't care. The "I could have" and "I should have" thoughts weren't there, there was only Shadow.

            "Shadow!"

            _"Derek…"_

_            Derek…_

Derek…

            "Derek!!!"

                        *                                  *                                  *

            "Derek!" Sonic's voice shouted.

            "Uhh…wha…?" Derek's eyes opened slowly, the world coming back into focus.

            "Hey, how ya doin'?" Sonic asked, waving his white-gloved hand in front of Derek's face.

            "Where…what…I…"

            "Welcome back to the land of the awake. You've been sleeping for…oh…six hours now? It's nine o'clock, bud."

            "Sonic? Where are we?" Derek sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

            "We're in the resistance headquarters, in Knothole. You've been on my couch for awhile…figured I'd finally try to wake ya up."

            "What…what happened? I saw the lasers fire…"

            "You're not _even_ going to believe what happened to you back there. I have enough trouble wrapping my brain around I_that/I_ one. The lasers came at you, but at the last second, they just shot up and hit the wall."

            "What happened to Shadow?!"

            "Shadow? Oh no, no…that was Bane."

            "Bane?"

            "Yeah, he's the one that brought you back here, you're kinda heavy."

            Derek chuckled. "You callin' me fat?"

            "Yeah, I am," Sonic smiled.

            "Guess I should go thank him."

            "Don't bother, he's already turned in for the night."

            Derek nodded.

            "Sonic…why did he look so much like you?"

            The hedgehog startled at the question.

            "He…he's my brother."

            "Ahh. Twins?"

            "Yep," Sonic said, acting like he'd known his entire life.

            "Something wrong? You look nervous."

            Sonic chuckled. Derek already figured it out…he'd already been caught. He thought he could keep it hidden, but now he felt he wanted to tell I_somebody,/I_ why not Derek?

            "Derek…I haven't seen Bane…until today."

            "What?"

            "Bane…Bane's my brother…we got separated when Mobotropolis was taken over. I didn't even I_remember/I_ him until today. My memory just kinda got jogged back into place and now this noggin of mine's full of memories of him."

            "That…that's very strange."

            "I_That's/I_ your response? It's strange?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

            "Yeah…what else am I supposed to say? We didn't know each other until today, either."

            "Guess so. Well, Derek, I gotta hit the hay…this hedgehog is _beat._"

            "Alright…I'll try and get some sleep too, even if I did sleep for hours already."

            "Ok, my couch is your couch, enjoy it," Sonic smiled, heading off to his room.

            Derek took off his coat, hanging it over the back of a nearby chair. Kicking off his boots, he adjusted his midnight-blue sweater for comfort, and lay back down on the couch, hoping to drift back off to sleep.

                        *                                  *                                  *

            It was well past Midnight, and Sonic was still awake.

            "Dammit…I don't want to go get 'em…I'll wake Derek up."

            Sonic lay under the sheets, clinging them closer and closer to his body; hoping that he'll somehow get warmer. It was something not everybody knew about. This was the curse of being Sonic.

            The curse of the "Fastest Thing Alive."

            Everything Sonic had ever done, experienced, was done at a much faster rate. His speed was faster, his metabolism was faster, his breath, heartbeat, it was all faster. An hour to anybody else was mere minutes to him. A month only seemed like a week.

            This was true for his thought processes as well.

            The primary reason he couldn't get to sleep at night…his brain. His thoughts. Swarming in and out of his head like locusts, they just kept coming and going, coming and going, changing, evolving, spitting themselves back in and coming back in a different form. Words, images, sounds, tastes, smells, feelings, and emotions…they all jumbled around in Sonic's mind like a whirlwind of confusion and stress.

            "I need them…tonight, I need them," Sonic said, slowly getting out of the bed.

            He silently creaked open the door, hoping he could make it to the bathroom without waking Derek up. He looked in the direction of the couch, just to make sure Derek was still asleep while he crept around.

            But Derek was sitting up, looking in Sonic's direction and holding his forehead in his right hand.

            "Derek? You still up?"

            "I…I…I….." He was trembling.

            "You okay? Derek?" Sonic's eyes widened in concern.

            "Can…can you hear…that?" Derek asked.

            "Hear what? I don't hear anything."

            "It sounds…sounds like…moaning…and there's screams…they're so loud…they're piercing."

            Sonic made his way over to the window.

            "No! Don't open…"

            But the hedgehog heard too late.

            "Aaaagh!!! Aah!!!!! It's so loud!!! What…WHAT IS THIS?!!!" Derek covered his ears, bowing over in pain.

            Sonic slammed the window closed again, and Derek began breathing with relief.

            "Derek, what's going on?"

            "I don't know… when it got so quiet, I just started hearing this moaning sound. Then, the screams came, and they scared me…I couldn't fall asleep cause of them. They were so loud…they're quieter now, but…maybe I'm just getting used to them."

            The confused hedgehog looked around, trying to find the source of any kind of sound…but it wasn't any use. Unless Derek was going crazy, he was hearing noises that nobody else could hear.

            Sonic nodded. "I know what you need, it's what I came out here for."

            Dashing into the bathroom, Sonic fished around the cabinet, grabbing a small bottle. Coming back to the living room, Sonic opened up the bottle. "Open your hand."

            Derek held out his left palm, and Sonic shook the bottle over it, two pills spilling into Derek's hand.

            "What are these?"

            Sonic smirked. "Sleeping pills."

            "Sleeping pills? Why do I_you/I_ have sleeping pills?"

            Sonic looked for the words in his brain, but it just didn't work out that way. "Let's just put it this way…my brain works just as fast as I do…and I think. I think way too much. So I need these to conk myself out."

            "I never knew…well…I did meet you today, so…guess I couldn't have known."

            Derek put the bitter pills in his mouth and swallowed hard. Sonic shook out two more pills for himself and mimicked the action.

            "There…now we'll pass out in about five minutes or so," Sonic nodded, placing the pills on a nearby table.

            "Thanks, Sonic."

            Sonic patted Derek on the shoulder. "Don't mention it. Goodnight Derek."

            "Goodnight Sonic," Derek said.

            "'Night Derek."

            Sonic padded on back to bed, and Derek lay down on his back, thinking about what was going on. The sounds were still in his head, screaming. But now, something happened just then that made him realize something.

            He wasn't alone.

            He wasn't by himself.

            He had a friend.

            He wasn't…wasn't…

            But before the thought finished itself, Derek drifted off to sleep. A single word, voice much like that of Shadow's, floating through his ears one last time.

            I_…Alone./I_


	5. Alpha Mission

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 4: "Alpha Mission"

By Bane Keldare

======================================

"I still remember the world…

From the eyes of a child…

Slowly these feelings…

Are clouded by what I know now…"

                        --Evanescence, "Fields of Innocence"

======================================

            Everything was as it should be.

            Everything was right again.

            Robotropolis was once again active.

            Any progress the past four days had made over the pollution was struck down now. The factories, dark and cold reminders of Robotnik's cruelty, were churning out their robots and parts. The black, choking smoke rose high into the sky once again. The sun, a distant reminder of a time that was so long ago. A time that may never be again.

            Snively loved every minute of it.

            Breathing deep through his nose, he took in the smells of production, craft, and perfection. The smells that eluded him were those that everyone else experienced; poison, pain, death, and misery.

            "Isn't it grand? An entire city…no…country…all mine," he grinned.

            "Yes, yes, whatever," a voice said from the shadows.

            "What's _your_ problem? I thought you'd be happy."

            "I have other motives in mind than this."

            "That's what worries me. Ever since I brought you back, you've just agreed with what I've done, without asking or demanding anything in return. You're starting to worry me," Snively crossed his arms.

            "Why would I worry you? Besides the fact that I could destroy you in an instant."

            Snively growled. "That…that's _not_ true!"

            "Sure it is. I could zip over there and shoot you before you could even press a button. I might even be able to slit your throat in that same time window."

            Snively gave a slight wince, followed by a quick whine. "That's disgusting."

            "But true," the voice said, sounding like he was giving a slight smirk.

            The young dictator walked back to his front show view. The window made up the entire wall, it's tint darkened due to the "privacy glass" option put into it. Clasping his hands behind his back, he gave an evil chuckle, which brewed into all out laughter.

            "Amazing, you came up with your own evil laugh. I'm sure the resistance will be terrified at your hyena-screaming chuckle," the voice laughed.

            Snively shot a furious glance, growled again, and charged into the shadows, hands balled into fists. His momentum was reversed quickly, as a sharp, metallic hand held him by his shirt collar and lifted him up. The little man grabbed the robotic arm and pulled hard, hoping that his effort would _somehow_ free him, but the metal claw held firm.

            "Idiot!" The voice scolded. "Did you forget who I _am?!_ Did you forget what I was _created_ to do?!"

            The metal hand thrust forward, releasing Snively into the viewing window. His back arched as he slammed his head into the glass, whining even louder as he slid down to the floor.

            "You…you'll pay for that…" he scoured.

            The source of the voice, and the hand, came into the light then. He looked like a roboticized creature, yet he didn't have the mass or structure of one.  He appeared to be a naturally created robot, and his body seemed to be a testament to all that was "spiky."

            He looked like a hedgehog.

            "…Metal Sonic..." Snively continued, before falling unconscious.

Knothole Village, May 26 

**10:00 A.M.**

**---------------------------------**

            "Everyone, I _know_ that it looks like our work was in vain!" Sally said.

            Almost the entire village was gathered around, as Sally stood up at the rally point. She was all alone up there, trying to ease everyone's worries, but it was becoming apparent that it wasn't working. The murmurs and whispers seemed to scream with negativity.

            "But we have to remain focused. We can still take the city back! Robotnik is no longer in power, we _know_ this!"

            More whispers.

            "If we take advantage of this change of power, we could easily slip by security and destroy Snively's source of power! We could shut down the city completely!"

            In the back, an Overlander, wearing a white, sleeveless trench coat, came upon the large gathering. He couldn't recognize the person on the stage, or most anyone else there, for that matter. Seeing a familiar blue, spiky head, he headed over to the left of the stage.

            "Sonic…" Derek whispered. "What's goin' on?"

            "Sal's trying to rally everyone…we know that if we act now, we can take Snively out of power and take the city back! This time for good!" Sonic explained.

            "Oh," Derek nodded, "But it doesn't seem like she's helping much…"

            "I know. We shut down the city and began to take it back…then it just turns back on like nothing was wrong. Everyone's scared that it's pointless."

            Sally continued. "We need to stage a mission today! We can't wait for Snively to get settled in! Who's with me?!!"

            The crowd seemed to back away slightly.

            "That's my cue," Sonic said, rushing on stage.

            "I am."

            Sally nodded. "Thanks, Sonic."

            "Me too," came Bane's voice from the other side. "Figured I'd just camp up here for a while…if nobody minds," he smirked in Sonic's direction, his brother returning the favor.

            "Bane…thanks," Sally said, looking down in slight dismay.

            A surge of unease flowed through Derek, moving from his heart to the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling of absurdity, like he was trying to fit in where he shouldn't even try. It felt like he needed to do something, but he didn't want to be rejected. Finally, he swallowed hard, and climbed up on stage.

            "I'll go, too."

            The three looked at him sideways.

            Derek hung his head low. "Guess not…" he said, slowly walking off stage.

            "Wait," Sonic put his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Hey, I think it's great you wanna help. I wouldn't mind if you came along."

            Bane crossed his arms. "Has he done this sort of thing before?"

            Derek shook his head. "Well…no…"

            "He's better off staying behind then…he'll slow us down."

            "I won't. I'll do what you want! I just…"

            Bane cocked an eyebrow. "Just what?"

            "I…just want to see it…for myself. What Julian…what _Robotnik's_ done," Derek admitted.

            "Can you fight? Last I saw you were unconscious for six hours."

            "Bane, lighten up," Sonic said.

            Derek didn't respond, he just pulled out his katars, holding them in a ready position.

            "I have these," he said. "I know how to use 'em."

            Sonic nodded. "Yeah, he does, actually."

            Bane slowly drew his katana. "Show me," he smiled.

            "You can't be serious," Derek shook his head.

            "No, no, I want to see. Come on, a quick sparring exercise, you and me."

            Sonic and Sally nodded at each other, and left the stage. The crowd began to gather again, watching the spectacle.

            Bane charged first, attempting a horizontal slash, which Derek had to block with both katars because of the sheer force behind the blade. Pushing the sword to the left, Derek used the momentum to sweep his foot along the ground. Bane flipped backward, thrusting forward with his blade towards Derek's head. Derek arched backwards, pushing off his hands, and back flipped under, and then _over_ the blade.

            The black hedgehog widened his eyes, realizing that this was no ordinary kid. "Nice move."

            "Thanks," Derek said, charging again.

            Thrusting his katars forward, Derek worried about having to pull back, but Bane easily dodged to the side, spinning around and bringing his blade toward Derek's head. The Overlander blocked with his right katar, and swung his left towards Bane's midsection. The swing was rather clumsy due to his awkward positioning, and because of that, Bane just arched his back, watching the blade just barely miss his clothes. Bane then pushed Derek's right katar to the side hard, spinning as he did so. Derek spun as well, and the two ended up in a position that nobody expected.

            Bane's katana was at Derek's throat, and Derek's katars were aimed at Bane's.

            "Draw!" Sonic shouted, chuckling.

            Derek and Bane both looked down at the blades pointed at their necks. Bane was the first to laugh, and Derek followed suit. The two let their blades drop, and Derek tossed his right katar into his other hand. The two shook hands, still laughing.

            "Very nice session, Derek," Bane admitted.

            "Thanks. Told you I knew how to use 'em," Derek smiled.

            "I take it you're ok with him going with?" Sonic asked.

            "Oh yeah…the kid's got talent. He'll be fine," Bane nodded.

            Derek smiled. "Thanks."

            "Then it's settled. We plan," Sally nodded.

**Robotropolis, May 26,**

**1:30 P.M.**

**------------------------------**

            The roar of Bane's motorcycle was the only sound that Derek could hear. Clutching tightly to Bane, his fear of falling off the bike was rather sound, even if Bane was quite a safe rider. In fact, the only reason he was going so fast in the first place was because Sonic complained the whole way.

            Sonic was running right beside the two, backwards, and yawning.

            "Come _on,_ does that thing go any faster?!" Sonic whined.

            "It does, but I don't want our friend back there to fall off! This thing's not meant for two!" Bane shouted.

            Sonic rolled his eyes.

            The long highway seemed to stretch on for miles…it was a good fifty miles from the outskirts of Robotropolis to the Great Forest, connected by one solitary stretch of road. The surrounding area looked like a desert wasteland, which wasn't surprising. Ten years of constant pollution would kill off any vegetation, no matter where it was.

            Sonic glanced back over his shoulder, looking at the dark city coming into view. "Finally," he said, jumping slightly and landing; now running forward again.

            They reached the outskirts of the city, which were more ruins than anything. Robot patrols were a rare occurrence here, so the three stopped, and Bane parked his bike.

            "Better take it on foot from here," Bane nodded, as he and Derek dismounted.

            The two hedgehogs stretched, Sonic his legs, and Bane his arms and neck. Derek just looked around, mainly at the sky. He looked in horror as the buildings' walls ended abruptly, their jagged, singed edges contrasting with the hideous gray sky.

            "This…Julian…why…?" Derek asked.

            "Try to reason it all you want, Derek. Truth is, Robotnik was just an evil guy," Sonic said, placing his hands on his hips.

            "No…I don't get it. Why would he be so nice to me…yet he did…all of _this!_"

            Bane shook his head. "Wait…he was 'nice' to you? Don't tell me you _knew_ him."

            "Yeah, I lived with him…called him Julian."

            Sonic nodded. "Yeah. Buttnik kept Derek all cooped up in his command center, told Derek it was too dangerous to go outside 'cause the resistance wiped everything out." The hedgehog scoffed. "Right…like _we_ messed up this planet."

            The horror on Derek's face turned into worry. "He…he did all of this…and never told me. Was he just…using me? Did he even…love me…?"

            "Derek, don't worry 'bout stuff like that," Sonic said.

            The Overlander's gaze shifted to a building across the street. It, too, was in ruins, but it was in better shape than the other buildings. Derek, however, saw something different in the building. Slowly walking across the street, he examined the strange, dome-shaped roof, and the large double doors out front.

            A laboratory.

            "Derek, what is it?" Bane asked.

            "I…I feel weird…in my head…"

            Sonic sped up behind Derek. "Whaddya mean?"

            "It's like…something's trying to tell me something…"

            Derek's vision flashed then, like a quick burst of static in his mind. He gazed upon the laboratory again, but this time it was restored. The grass, the trees, they all looked right again, and the sky was blue once more.

            "What…am I seeing?"

            "Derek…" Sonic's voice faded out.

======================================

"I still remember the sun…

Always warm on my back…

…Somehow it seems colder now…"

                        --Evanescence, "Fields of Innocence"

======================================

Looking to the right, he saw a playground, right out in front of the lab. It was a little awkward, and Derek didn't understand it at first…but there it was; a playground, with slide, swings, a sandbox, and monkey bars. It was empty…in fact, the entire place was deserted.

            Then his mind flashed the static again.

            Now there were three people in the playground. There was a girl with beautiful golden hair, and chasing after her was a little boy with dark brown hair. They were playing tag of some sort, and the girl was obviously much older than the boy. In fact, she seemed like she was about ten years his elder.

            But the third person…he struck Derek as the most shocking.

            A black hedgehog, with red highlights in his fur.

            "C'mon Shadow! Play with us!" The boy shouted.

            "Nah, that's ok. Kinda tired, actually," the hedgehog responded, resting in the branch of a nearby tree.

            _Shadow…_

            An elderly gentleman exited the lab and approached the three.

            "Dr. Gerald," Shadow said, "What's up?"

            The man looked at the three and smiled. "Well, I have some experiments I need to continue on the ARK Colony. Shadow, I need you to come with me. You two want to go?"

            The kids nodded. "Sure!" The boy's eyes were almost sparkling at the idea.

            Gerald walked over to the boy. "Wow, Derek, you sure are excited."

            _Derek? No…no…couldn't be…could it?_

            The boy nodded. "I love bein' in space! It's so cool!"

            Gerald chuckled. "Well, we'll be up there for awhile, so I guess you'll have plenty of fun. Well guys, we're leavin' in about two hours, so get your stuff ready."

            "Yay!" The boy cried, running into the laboratory.

            The girl looked at Shadow as he leapt down from the tree. "Can't keep Derek away from space, eh?"

            Shadow chuckled. "Yeah…guy's got anti-gravity in his blood. Well, you can't blame him…he was born up there, after all."

            _I…am I…remembering this?_

            "So Shadow…what do you suppose he wants with you _this_ time?"

            Shadow shrugged. "I don't know. But maybe, just maybe…"

            "What?"

            "Maybe he knows what my purpose in life is…"

            _Shadow? Shadow!! Shadow don't go!_

            "Shadow!!" Derek shouted. "Shadow! Don't!"

            Then his mind flashed the static again.

----------

            "Derek…_Derek!_" Sonic shouted.

            "Shadow!" Derek shouted one last time.

            "Derek! Hey!" Bane snapped his fingers.

            The Overlander shook his head, eyes focusing once again on the here and now.

            "Sonic…? Bane?"

            Derek's eyes flashed the static again when they landed on Bane's face.

            "Bane…I never noticed," Derek jumped back.

            "What?"

            Examining Bane's face again, it was all too uncanny. He looked a lot like Sonic, in terms of his spine structure, but his fur color was black. However, there was something in Bane that Derek never saw before. His hair.

            It had red highlights.

            "Bane…why did you get red highlights in your hair?"

            Bane crossed his arms. "I liked them. Besides, they match my coat."

            "What's wrong, Derek?" Sonic asked.

            "Nothing…it's just that…Shadow was a black hedgehog with red highlights in his fur. Bane's are in his hair though…unless…Bane, could you roll up your sleeve?"

            "Why?" Bane asked, gripping at the cuff.

            "Shadow's highlights were on his arms and legs too…I'm just curious."

            The black hedgehog rolled up his sleeve past his elbow, knowing full well what was there.

            A red stripe.

            "What are you trying to get at?" Sonic scratched his head.

            "I…nothing…it's just that…"

            "Just what?" Bane asked, rolling his sleeve back down.

            Derek looked into Bane's green eyes.

            "He looks just like you."

Angel Island, May 26 

**1:30 P.M.**

**----------------------------**

            _"He's beginning to remember…"_ the Master Emerald spoke.

            "What?" Knuckles asked, snapping out of his trance.

            _"His memories are returning."_

"And…why should I be particularly interested?

            _"What he does and does not remember will change the shape of the planet."_

            "I don't understand! Why is this guy so important?! Why has his existence caused you to talk to me more in two days than you have in two years?!"

            _"To divulge that would, in fact, dig Mobius an early grave."_

"Why?"

            _"Because you aren't meant to know why…yet. That will come in its own time."_

"I still don't' get it…if he's so important to the planet, why was he so unimportant before? Why is he just _now_ becoming an issue?"

            _"He is tied to Chaos in a way that few are. He is a part of it, like that hedgehog friend of yours…and like you are. You are all bound to it. You share its destiny. The destiny as guardians of this planet."_

"He's…a guardian of sorts? Sonic too?"  
            _"Yes. But you aren't called a guardian because of what you guard."_

"What are you saying?"

            _"There are other things worth protecting than I. Derek is fragile. I am not."_

            "Are you, in a way, inferring that fate exists?" Knuckles pondered.

            _"There is no fate. Only possibility, and probability."_

The Echidna remained silent.

            _"What will you do when Derek arrives?"_

"Derek's coming here? Why? I thought you said there was no fate."

            _"There is not. Derek's subconscious is eating away at his mind. Something, or someone, is telling Derek to head here, to Angel Island. To the island that floats in the sky. Soon, Derek will cave, and he'll arrive. He will either destroy us, or save us. That is uncertain."_

"I'd choose to err on the side of caution. I can't let you be destroyed."

            _"You can't? Do you know what will happen if I am destroyed?"_

"The energies contained inside will go haywire."

            _"You don't know that for sure. If I am destroyed, I very well might heal the planet's injuries, you know. But if Derek is killed, you know that he isn't coming back. He can't be repaired like a Chaos Emerald can. Once his blood is spilled, it remains on the ground, never to return."_

Knuckles looked away and crossed his arms.

            "I'm a Guardian…I swore to protect you."

            _"Let me put it this way. Only Derek is able to avert the possibility of something much greater."_

            "What?"

            The Emerald remained silent for a moment, then glowed a bright shade of green.

            _"The end of the world…"_


	6. Unforeseen Complications

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 5: "Unforeseen Complications"

By Bane Keldare

=======================================

"Each night I feel the distance…

That has grown between us, open up…

As lonely as the space between the stars…

I wish that I could find a way…

To smash my fist right through these walls…

Of ugliness…and emptiness…

And gently touch your face…"

                        --Stabbing Westward, "So Far Away"

=======================================

            A cold wind whipped around, chilling the figure as he stood, watching the three.

            "You're starting to remember…unfortunately," he muttered to himself.

            The wind started to snap his long coat around his ankles. He thought about stopping it, but he knew that it wasn't making too much noise. He needed just a little more time. Time to see what these three were up to. Time to figure himself out.

            He watched the one in the white coat, eyes arching up slightly in sadness. He knew that he didn't deserve to be with him again. Not now. His memories, tear-soaked images spackled with blood, the edges singed with fire. He'd torn apart everything…and for what? Revenge? Power?

            He just didn't know anymore.

            The watcher turned his gaze toward the one clad in red; his hood almost came off because of the wind. He examined that one up and down. A hedgehog…with black fur, but something was just…different.

            "Who are you…really? You look like him, yet…"

            Then, his sight turned on the blue one.

            "And you, Sonic…how did you even get involved in this? The resistance? Was this…destined to be? Are you sure you want to get involved in this…? I have so many questions for you, but I don't want to ask them."

            He reached into his deep pocket, and fished out a small, glowing gem.

            "I have the Emerald from here…but where are the other six? …Only one place to find out…the Master Emerald can tell me…"

            The figure hopped down from his vantage point, and headed off west, away from Robotropolis. He glanced back at the three once more, primarily at the one in the white, sleeveless coat.

            "Derek…I'm so sorry."

----------

            The wind was still so very cold. It wrapped itself around everything and everyone, whistling around buildings and through the dead trees. Robotropolis' outskirts weren't a pretty sight, being nothing but ruins and all…but here it felt even worse. It felt like…like everything was still dying, but not quite dead. It felt like this place was still in pain.

            Derek shook his head. "Sorry…I…shouldn't have said that."

            Bane tilted his head slightly. "You're saying I look like this Shadow?"

            "Well…I…uh…how can I word this…?"

            Sonic put his hands on his hips. "This gonna take long?"

            "You…you look like Sonic…but you also look a bit like…Shadow?" Derek asked.

            Bane rolled his eyes. "Not very helpful…look, what was this place?"

            Derek walked up toward the front door, pushing and pulling on it to no avail. "This used to be…a lab. Belonged to someone named Gerald…I think."

            "Hey, this thing not openin' cause of _this?_" Sonic asked, pointing to a small keypad.

            Derek glanced to the right, and looked at the keypad. It looked like the standard deviation…numbers 0-9, with a star and pound in the bottom left and right corners.

            "This…looks familiar…I knew this code once…"

            _"Just remember the song, Derek!"_ The girl's voice popped into his head.

            "The song…?"

            Pressing his hand on the keypad, he closed his eyes, thinking of every melody he'd heard before.

            "Five and three…five and one…one and eight and then you're done…" he sang, pressing the buttons as he did so.

            The keypad beeped slightly, and a harsh grating sound could be heard from inside, indicating that the mechanism hadn't been worked in ages. The building did look like it'd been there for a long time…at least fifty years or more. A loud metallic snap sounded, and everyone winced from the noise.

            The door opened.

            Derek eagerly walked inside, while Bane and Sonic looked at each other.

            "This is gonna take long," Sonic sighed.

            "Hey, we got time, right?" Bane smiled.

            Sonic shrugged. "Yeah…and I want to see what he's looking for. I want to know who this 'Shadow' is."

            "You think the answers are in there?"

            Derek called from down the hallway. "Yeah! There's a computer here…somewhere…!"

            The hedgehogs followed, Sonic zipping up right behind Derek. Bane just walked faster, taking in the sights and smells of the old laboratory.

            "Still smells sterile…after all this time. Man…this place is pretty well preserved."

            Sonic glanced around, watching Derek take turn after turn.

            "Derek…you know where you're going?"

            Derek stopped. "I…I don't remember much of this place. It's like my instincts are telling me to go this way. You know…my gut feelings?"

            Sonic nodded. "I know all about gut feelings. I live by 'em."

            The Overlander smiled. "Then you know what I'm talking about."

            Derek picked up speed, and Sonic followed suit. Bane could hear where they went, so he took in the surroundings. The sights…the sounds…the smells…why were they so familiar?

            _Have I been here before?_ He asked himself.

            The sounds of footsteps stopped as Bane rounded the corner. Derek and Sonic were standing in the doorway of a dark room, just looking on. Sonic peeked around the corner, while Derek just stood there.

            "The lab's database," Derek nodded.

            Stepping inside the room, Derek flipped a small switch on the wall. The main computer in the center of the room flickered on, and the lights slowly powered up. In an instant, the lights were off again after a brief flash.

            "Spoooooooky," Sonic whistled, all three of them chuckling.

            Derek sat down at the master computer, cracking his knuckles.

            "I'm surprised it's still intact," he said, clacking keys at a rapid pace.

            "Whoa, you sure know your way around a keyboard," Sonic said, pointing at Derek's hands.

            Without averting his eyes, Derek nodded. "Yeah, not much to do when you think the world's gone…Robotnik had a huge database, but strangely nothing about me. But here…maybe there's something about me…about Shadow. Maybe I'll find out why I'm having these memories now…or why I didn't have them before."

            Bane shook his head. "Hey, that's an easy question to answer. Memories often get lost or repressed for a variety of reasons…I myself don't remember Sonic bringing me out of Mobotropolis when it was under attack. I don't know why, but I still don't remember. Sonic does, now."

            Sonic looked into Bane's eyes. "You sayin' that memories can just disappear, just like that?" he snapped his fingers.

            "Well…the domination of the city was a pretty traumatic thing. I'm sure I just found it so horrible that I didn't want to remember it anymore. Hence memory repression."

            "Ooooh…you didn't _want_ to remember it. Does that really work?"

            Bane smirked. "I don't remember it now."

            Sonic nodded. "Point taken."

            The keys were clacking with fervor now, as the screen illuminated Derek's face. Window after window opened and closed; as Derek searched and searched for some kind of program that would allow him to do a master database scan.

            "My point is, that sometimes memories don't return until you're right on top of them," Bane continued. "Maybe you knew this lab when you were a kid, and you're just snapping yourself back into that time."

            "Yeah," Derek said, clacking keys faster and faster. "Aha!"

            The only window open on the screen said "Search:   "

            "Alright, Derek. Get crackin'," Sonic nudged.

            Derek entered his first keyword. "Shadow."

            Numerous lines of text scrolled by on the screen, almost going off the page. "Wow," Derek exclaimed. "Let's see…shadows of…no…"

            "What the hell?" He asked. "ULF? What the hell's ULF?" He said, clicking on a link marked 'ULF project.'

            The window opened up on the screen. A text document, and the scroll bar was shrinking…and shrinking…and shrinking.

            Sonic whistled. "That's…a lot of reading."

            Derek scanned through the text, but no mention of Shadow came up just yet; just a lot of scientific details about DNA, chemicals, and the like.

            "Hey guys…we have a mission, right?"

            Sonic shrugged. "It can wait."

            "Well…it's going to take awhile to look through all of this. You guys want to go finish the mission? I don't mind waiting here…seems safe enough."

            "Derek, this is your _first_ mission! You should be tagging along, learning the ropes!"

            "I know but…" Derek looked away, at the screen reflected in Sonic's eyes.

            Sonic smirked and put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, yer gut feelings, right?"

            Derek nodded and smiled.

            "Okay, we'll go handle the mission. Wait here for us, we'll be back. Maybe I'll hit a chili-dog stand on the way back and bring ya something."

            "I'd like that. Thanks Sonic, Bane."

            The two hedgehogs turned to leave.

            "If I leave, I'll leave a note on the front of the monitor, okay?"

            Sonic turned his head and gave a thumbs-up. "Got it."

            The door hissed shut as the two left Derek alone in the lab.

            And they were gone.

            _Alone…_ Shadow's voice again. _I'm so sorry…_

**Robotropolis Command Center,**

**May 26, 4:00 PM**

**------------------------------------------**

            "He's in the city, somewhere," Metal Sonic said, gazing out from the command center.

            "How do you know that?" Snively asked, rubbing the back of his bandaged head.

            "I don't," Mecha admitted, "but Sonic's here…caught him on surveillance, leaving an old building in the ruins. Someone else is with him, too…looks like a black hedgehog."

            "So why do you think Derek's here?"

            "I'm just guessing, but I'm sure Sonic knows where Derek is…even if he _isn't_ here. From what I remember, that Derek was a little clingy…he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he just walked out of the city alone."

            Snively nodded. "Yeah, he was a little too clingy. Uncle Julian loved that kid more than he loved me! And I'm his own flesh and blood!"

            Mecha's eyes flashed a brighter shade of red, indicating his anger. "He at least loved you. Do you know what he did with me? Produced me, made me strong, gave me a will of my own, then told me I had to obey him. He created me, I was born into a life of slavery. Then, when I failed, I was tossed away like most of his other toys. You rebuilt me, and here I stand. You don't respect me, and I'm seen as a monster by the rest of this world. Do you _really_ think your whining compares to my pain?!"

            Snively shut up.

            "That Derek…he's the key to bringing me beyond my limitations. He's the one I need to completely upgrade to something grand, maybe even divine. If we get him back, then I…_we'll_ be able to take this planet for ourselves."

            The Overlander laughed. "How is that _kid_ going to help _you?_"

            "It's too complicated to explain, " Mecha huffed, turning to leave.

            "Where do you think you're going?"

            Mecha didn't look back.

            "To keep tabs on our spiky blue friend."

Mobotropolis, Reactor 7-C 

**Southwest Sector,**

**May 26, 4:25 PM**

**-------------------------------------**

"Damn…where did you learn how to _do_ that?!" Sonic asked, awestruck.

            Bane walked over to the SWAT-bot, which was still standing. It was actually quite amazing, since it had a katana embedded in its optical visor. Grabbing the hilt, Bane smiled an evil little smile.

            "Shut down," he said, yanking the sword free, spinning around, and slashing the bot's head clean off. The bot slumped forward with a loud crash.

            "Sorry, what was the question?" Bane asked.

            "Where did you learn how to do that?" Sonic repeated.

            Bane walked among the fallen bots, all ten that the brothers had managed to dispatch. "When we were very young…we used to play knights…and that girl, Sally, always played the princess. You were always the knight…and I wasn't allowed to play."

            Sonic hung his head. "…Yeah."

            "Oh don't. We were just kids back then."

            "But still…"

            Bane ignored Sonic's self-loathing. "Anyway…I thought that if I got really good with a sword that I'd be a knight, so I got this wooden sword and started training with it."

            "Yeah…when I took you out of the city, you had a wooden sword with you."

            "Yep. Well that first group I was with had one of the royal guards with them…and he's the one I stayed with. He taught me how to use the sword…even gave me my first real one."

            "Wow…you had quite a life, eh?"

            "Well…didn't have any extraordinary abilities to speak of, some people said I had fantastic reflexes. One old lady even told me that it was my gift…like at certain times I could see what was coming in order to avoid it."

            "The way you cleaned up this place, I'd believe it."

            "Think so…? I never really paid attention before."

            "Well, there were times when I was _sure_ you were going to be hit, and you moved at the last second."

            Bane shrugged.

            "In any case, let's set this up and blow this joint!" Sonic exclaimed.

            Taking the pack off his shoulders, Bane started to take out the C-4, placing it around the base of the reactor's cement protection wall. "With this much C-4, nothing's gonna be left of this place."

            "Good…we don't want Sniv rebuilding it before we get the others."

            "You don't want the show to end now, do you?" A smooth voice came from behind.

            Bane whirled around, blade drawn. Sonic zipped over in front of Bane, in a ready stance. The two looked around for what seemed like an eternity, but the identity of the voice came into view. His red eyes glowed, and were the first thing visible before he stepped into the light. His metallic feet clanked on the iron grate flooring of the reactor.

            "Mecha…" Sonic snarled.

==================================== 

"You and I are here…

Underwater…

Seconds are so dear…

Underwater…

I'm searching for a light…

To bring me closer…

I hold my breath in tight…

Bring me closer…

I feel your touch…

Will you pull me up again?

                        --Vertical Horizon, "Underwater"

=====================================

Derek didn't know where, but he knew he was drifting…underwater.

            His arms drifted as lifelessly as his legs, and all sound seemed to be insubstantial. He tried to breathe…and found that he could and could not, at the same time. It was like…he _knew _that he couldn't breathe underwater…but he also didn't feel like he had to.

            The sun was streaking in through the surface, but Derek didn't feel like going up. He looked around, and couldn't see anything else. No sign of other life, or the ocean floor, for that matter. Then he felt it.

            Something was there.

            It wasn't obvious, but Derek could feel the waves…the water being displaced by another life form. Moving in the direction of the disturbance, he saw him.

            Shadow.

            He motioned to scream, but couldn't. But Shadow looked like he understood.

            _"Here we are. This is where we are, Derek. We're drowning."_

            Derek widened his eyes in realization. _"Shadow…?"_

            Shadow, floating a few feet above Derek, nodded. _"You know, don't you? You read Gerald's notes about me."_

            Derek nodded. _"How are we…communicating?"_

_            "I don't know. I don't want you to follow me…but part of me does. It's like I'm fighting myself over you. Confusing, I know."_

Derek shook his head, _"No, it's not confusing. People fight battles, even entire _wars_ with themselves. You're just fighting a battle you think is just."_

_            "But if you follow me, you'll get hurt. I'll lose you. I know I will."_

_            "If you don't let me follow you, then you already lost me, ya know?"_

            Shadow's eyes widened. _"Good point."_

            The black hedgehog began to swim up, toward the surface.

            _"Isn't it beautiful, Derek? That's where the angels are…up there. But down here, all living creatures are drowning in their own hatred and negativity. Up there…where the angels are…that's where we should go. That's where…she is."_

_            "Who? That girl?"_

_            "You forgot her name?" _Shadow cocked his head. _"Maria. Remember Maria?"_

Derek felt like a sudden force had just shoved him downward. His memories, repressed, forgotten memories striking back like a furious undertow.

            _"Come on, Derek! Let's go there! Let's go to where the Angels are!"_

_            "What? You're losing it, Shadow…"_

_            "I am? Search for it, Derek. Search for…Angels…"_

            Shadow outstretched a hand, and Derek tried to reach. However, the tides were pulling him under…deeper and deeper into the ocean, until the light started to fade. Shadow began to disappear, as did the rest of the ocean. Until he was alone.

Robotropolis, Ruined Laboratory, May 26, 4:25 PM 

**----------------------------------------------**

            Derek snapped awake, screaming, and almost fell out of the chair.

            He stared at the keyboard blankly, focusing on his breathing. Taking in short breaths, he could feel his heart pump twice as fast as he inhaled, if not faster. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but that wasn't on his mind right now.

            _Shadow…_

            "You looked…happy," he said, remembering the dream.

            The screen was blank, except for the word "Search." 

            _"Let's go there! Search for it…"_

            Derek typed in the word "Angel," and hit enter.

            Only one thing matched.

            "Angel Island…?" Derek asked.

            The existence of Angel Island has always fascinated me. Ever since I began research on Chaos Emeralds and biology, I've heard stories about an island that floated in the sky. It sounded like just a fairy tale. But there were witnesses who said they even landed on the island, and were cast off as soon as they got there. Said a strange species of Mobian was behind it…said they told them to leave or else.

_            One person…a scientist of Chaos in fact, told me that there was a huge jewel at the top of a shrine there. Said that it emanated like a Chaos Emerald, with the way that it affected his equipment. He also said that the island was hidden, and admitted that his landing was a complete accident. He said that "the ground was just suddenly THERE," and he crash-landed._

            The Mobians there, called Echidnas, ordered the man to keep the location quiet. However, he still managed to record down the coordinates, even though the Echidnas sabotaged his GPS system. He was one of the few who were good at reading sea and star charts.

            Derek copied down the coordinates on a small piece of paper.

            _Ever since my research with Shadow, I've been curious about how he'd react with a Chaos Emerald that big. Is it some kind of master Emerald? One that's connected with the other ones? As I speak, the island has been seen in the sky, and it hasn't been in the past. Something must have happened in order for the island to be visible again. I myself have seen pictures. It's not just an island…it's easily a continent. A small one, but a continent…a world all to itself. There have been attempts to land there, but the planes' machinery suddenly malfunctioned and crashed into the ocean below._

_            Strange…according to ancient Human history, this place used to be called The Bermuda Triangle…where the same things occurred each and every time. Maybe the Emerald's protecting itself? Does that mean that it has a consciousness?_

_            Would Shadow go there? What would happen? I'm curious._

_                                                                                    --Professor Gerald Robotnik_

            Derek backed away from the screen.

            "Angel Island…" he said. "Is he…going there? Is that what he meant?"

            He remembered what he'd read earlier…two hours of reading into who and what Shadow was. Nothing about Derek, but Shadow's name was the subject of the file before this one…and Derek now understood.

            He knew what Shadow was.

            "Shadow…" he said, opening up a word-processing program.

            Typing out a short note, Derek swallowed hard, and then turned off the monitor. Standing up, he gulped again, nervousness filling his chest and stomach.

            As the door hissed open, he looked back at the room, then out into the hallway once more.

            "…I'm coming," he said, closing the door behind him.

**Robotropolis, Reactor 7-C**

**May 26, 4:26 PM**

**----------------------------------**

            "I thought you were destroyed," Sonic squinted his eyes.

            "So did I. But I came back…rebuilt, and better than ever," Mecha's voice was startlingly calm.

            "Who is this, Sonic? He looks like a robot…_you_," Bane asked.

            "That, Bane, is Metal Sonic. 'Buttnik made him a long time ago to get rid of me. Didn't work though."

            Mecha nodded. "Yes, that was quite a fun battle, wasn't it?"

            "Fun…stressful…they both fit," Sonic smirked.

            Bane reached into his jacket, pulling out a silver revolver. Aiming it at Mecha, he looked at him through one eye. "Whoever you are, I'll stop you here…and now."

            "What is it with everyone and _horrid_ clichés? Is this a new trend?"

            Bane stood firm.

            "Fine, take your best shot. This armor's one of the strongest alloys against lasers."

            The hedgehog pulled the trigger, the recoil forcing his arm upward. A sulfur smell entered Sonic's nose after it fired. It was strange…he'd never seen a gun like that before.

            A loud _"tink!"_ noise resounded, as Metal stepped backwards a few feet.

            "How did…how did you?!!!"

            Bane smiled. "This isn't a laser pistol. It's called a revolver. A very powerful gun that fires bullets instead. The ammo's rare, but it's well worth it."

            Mecha held his right shoulder, then wound his arm around in a circle. "That hurt, you know. But enough games. Where's Shyfter?"

            "Shyfter?" Sonic scratched his head.

            "Don't play games with me! That kid you're with!"

            "Ohhh…right…that kid. Overlander, dark brown hair, wearing a white coat without any sleeves, green eyes like mine…blue sweater, black jeans. Name was Derek?"

            Mecha rolled his eyes. "Yes."

            "Never heard of him," Sonic smiled. Bane fought to contain his laughter.

            Mecha clenched his fist and growled. "Fine. I didn't want to resort to this. I know where he is."

            "You're bluffing," Bane said, steadying his aim.

            "Am I? He's over in an old laboratory outside of town. I saw him on the cameras."

            "What?"

            "I was hoping you'd just tell me, but I didn't expect much."

             Bane fired another round, but this time Mecha turned his body sideways, watching the bullet fly right in front of his chest.

            "H…how?" Bane's eyes widened.

            "Simple. I saw it coming. I can compute the most probable actions and results in my head, and I saw where the gun was aimed. I could easily tell that you were going to fire, so I took steps to prevent the result."

            "That's…that's…"

            "That's the genius of Robotnik…even if I _do _hate him, I have to respect his intelligence."

            Bane put his gun away, and held his blade with two hands once more.

            "Sonic, let's go!"

            Sonic nodded. "Oh yeah, I've been _itching _for a challenge!"

            Mecha snapped his fingers. Out of the shadows, a large group of SWAT-bots appeared.

            "You didn't think I'd come _alone,_ did you?" He laughed.

            "I'll take the bots! Sonic, take him down!" Bane shouted, charging toward the group.

            Sonic nodded. "Yeah…I'll take you out just like last time!"

            Mecha charged first swinging a metal fist outward, but Sonic zipped over to the side, attempting to perform a foot-sweep. Mecha jumped backward, and charged Sonic again, but the hedgehog wasn't done. Flipping backwards on one hand, his right shoe slammed into Mecha's jaw, sending him flying upward and backwards. Sonic landed perfectly.

            "Nice shot," Mecha rubbed his jaw.

            After thrusting his blade into a bot's knee, Bane pulled it back out and spun, slashing the bot's head off. Continuing the spin, he sliced off the gun arm of another bot, following with a nice stab to the optical visor. The bot fell, and Bane smiled.

            "Too easy."

            After hearing the laser fire, Bane jumped and spun diagonally, the lasers just barely missing him. Using the momentum of the spin, he flung his katana at the closest bot. The blade sank into its chest, and the robot ceased to respond to anything. Reaching into his coat, Bane pulled out not just one, but two revolvers, leaving his sword in its "sheath" for the time being.

            Mecha and Sonic were having a footrace of sorts all their own. They were matching speeds, both trying to punch the other while they ran parallel to each other. The two ran up walls, even ran across the ceiling briefly. Sonic wasn't worried, even if Mecha was working extra hard to stop the hedgehog. Sonic was just too hard to predict…all probability the hedgehog had came up as "inconclusive" in Mecha's scanners…at least, that was when Sonic was running. When he was standing still, he was predictable, and that made it easy.

            But when Sonic was running, he was reckless, almost dangerously reckless. As the two got near the wall again, Sonic jumped, grabbing a bar that was sticking out above. Twisting his body slightly, he managed to kick Mecha's right knee as the bot began to run up the wall. Mecha spun, slamming into the ground below.

            Bane was having fun by himself. Jumping, he kicked off a nearby bot's chest, flipped backward, and shot another bot behind him before righting himself on the ground. As soon as he landed, he fired into the bot he launched off of, dropping it as well.

            Mecha stood, and watched Bane for a split second, dodging Sonic while he did so. He realized something. Bane wasn't fast like Sonic. He didn't have any superior tricks up his sleeve, he was dependant on his weapons.

            He was predictable.

            Mecha tripped Sonic after the hedgehog made a sloppy move, and dashed over to the bot with the katana. Pulling the sword free, he watched as Bane put his last bullet into the last robot. Running and sliding, he tripped Bane, the hedgehog falling on his back. The wind was knocked out of him as he clung for air.

            Sonic stopped cold.

            "This, Sonic, is why I am superior. You have a heart, you care for this guy. I don't. I don't care for anyone."

            Holding the sword backwards, he threw it like a spear toward Bane's chest.

            "No!!!" Sonic screamed.

            But it was too late, the blade was thrown.

            Bane saw the katana coming, watching it slowly move toward the center of his chest…he didn't want it to happen. He didn't want to leave Sonic behind. But most of all, he didn't want to die.

            _No…_

            But Bane, despite all odds, didn't die.

            As the sword fell, Bane spun sideways, kicking the flat of the blade. The sword spun, and Bane grabbed the hilt when the sword was upright. Performing a spin-flip, he landed, blade pointed at Mecha's neck.

            But the robot had a pistol aimed at Bane.

            "I needed some people to gloat over, anyways. We're going to get Derek, and you two are going to witness the birth of something even greater than myself. A better, stronger, more godlike version…of me," Mecha said. "Sonic, the minute you move, this punk loses all brain matter in his head."

            Bane wanted to act, but he looked behind him. More SWAT-bots, closing fast.

            "Dammit…" Sonic hung his head.

            A bot came up behind Sonic, and fired a stun-laser at him. Before he fell into unconscious blackness, he heard a voice in his head…sounded strangely like Derek's.

            _"Shadow…I'm coming…"_


	7. Angel's Calling

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 6: "Angels' Calling"

By Bane Keldare

===============================

"Thought I was your yesterday

Want to be tomorrow…

Feel you're starting to decay,

Never crossed the line…

Tried to hide the filth inside,

All to be forgiven…

What you see is all a dream.

All I ask you…

Are you still alive?

                        --Gravity Kills, "Alive"

===============================

            "I heard you scream that one night," the cloaked figure said.

            His long trench coat draped around his ankles easily, the sleeves were close fitting to his thin arms. He walked quietly, not because he was expecting anything, but because he felt like he should. He was alone, and it was obvious he was talking to himself.

            "Derek…I heard you scream. In fact, it hurt. It hurt very much to hear you shrieking in pain." The figure said, closing his red eyes in remembrance.

            "But I'm going to make sure you don't scream like that again. I know what's causing those horrible sounds."

            The figure pulled off his hood. He was a hedgehog, with black, twisted spines. Highlighted in red, the only things more crimson were his eyes.

            "Now you're following me. No…maybe you're trying to beat me there. You won't make it unless you get a vehicle."

            The forest Shadow was walking through began to thin a little. The sun streaked in through the treetops, and the ambient sounds of nature billowed all around.

            "I know you're following me. I can feel you. I can feel the absolute _decay_ that emanates from you. You're a walking shroud of unraveling, everything just spirals down to oblivion around you."

            Shadow stopped.

            "But you don't know that, do you? You know what _I_ am, and didn't even bother to find out who _you_ are. I can tell…if you knew, you would've used that power of yours to stop me by now. You would've used it to get here faster, by yourself."

            The hedgehog continued his march.

            "You would've used that downward spiral to your advantage. When everything's gone, you can alter what happens to it…Gerald's true legacy."

            Looking up at the sun, Shadow squinted.

            "A living embodiment of the entire planet…a rotting thing, still holding on."

            Clutching the Chaos Emerald in his hand, Shadow sighed.

            "But does that make _you_ the ultimate life form? A life form signifies that it has life…and if there is life, there is death. Will you die, Derek? Does your inevitable fate make _you_ the ultimate life form? Or am I the ultimate life form, with the ability to cheat even my own fate? Oh wait…I forgot…fate doesn't mean much to you."

            Shadow shook his head.

            "Listen to me, berating you, my friend. And you're not even here! Why? Why am I doing this? Is this really how I feel? Or is it…"

            The Emerald's light pulsed in his hand.

            "No. It can't be…no. I won't let it get to you, Derek. I let you out of the capsule to give you a fighting chance! Use it!"

            The Emerald flashed again. Shadow knew what he had to do to make it stop.

            "Fine. Chaos Control!"

            And the hedgehog was gone, wrapped in a blinding light.

**Robotropolis, May 26,**

**7:00 PM**

**------------------------------**

"Sonic…sorry I didn't stay," Derek muttered, peering around the corner.

            The Overlander had made his way to one of Robotnik's lesser facilities…he knew he needed some sort of transport to get to Angel Island…it was so far away to make it on foot. He _knew_ he wouldn't make it that far alone.

            He didn't know what kind of vehicle to steal though, if he was able to even apprehend one. Robotnik set up his security pretty tight for all his machines, but it was possible that he had override codes that Derek could at least guess at. Problem was, Derek didn't really know what kind of ships did what. A few could fly, some were ground-based, and in this facility, there were even hydro-vehicles.

            "Now or never," Derek gulped.

            There were only two bots placed around the particular vehicle Derek set his eyes on. It wasn't surprising, the factory seemed old, and nearly out of commission. There were even gaping holes in the ceiling that _weren't_ meant for air units.

            Charging from around the corner, Derek ran straight for the bots, katars at the ready. Holding them behind him, he reached the first bot in no time flat, and drew his blades in toward his chest, leaving an "X" slashed in the bot's chest. Slashing outward, he aimed his katars toward the bot's neck, leaving it incapacitated and decapitated.

            "Shyfter…priority one…" the other bot spoke, readying his arm-cannon.

            Feeling a strange rush of adrenaline, Derek whirled and used his right katar to sever the cannon. The bot reached for him with his hand, but Derek sliced it off with his left blade. Then, in a feral rage, he clawed and slashed the bot with relentless fury.

            Derek sighed heavily in relief.

            "Alright, now how do I open this thing…?" He asked, placing his hand on what appeared to be a door.

            "Scanning…" the vehicle said.

            "Whoa!" Derek jerked his hand back.

            "Scanning…"

            The Overlander tilted his head in confusion.

            "Scan complete. DNA match confirmed. Overriding controls."

            The door hissed open.

            "Welcome aboard, Derek," it said.

            "What the…" Derek climbed inside. "Were these things programmed…for me?"

            "Do you have a destination? If so, please enter the coordinates," the computer said.

            Derek pulled out a small note. Punching the coordinates in the computer, he then looked to the small screen for confirmation.

            "Area uncharted…please name this sector."

            Derek pondered for a moment, then responded, keying it in.

            "Angel Island…destination confirmed."

            The vehicle lifted off, and rocketed toward the sky.

            "What's at Angel Island? Shadow…are you…going to be there?"

            Derek knew his question held no answers, but for a brief moment, he hoped that something, or someone, would tell him.

            But the only thing he had in his sights was an endless sky.

Robotropolis Outskirts, May 26 

**7:00 PM**

**-----------------------------------------**

            "Ow! You don't have to hold me so damn hard!" Bane shouted.

            The grip of the Swat-bot on his shoulders was aggravating. It felt like it was trying to squeeze Bane's shoulder like a melon, with a metallic grasp that was unrelenting.

            "Shut up," Mecha said. "Your friend there doesn't seem to mind."

            Bane shot a glance over toward the unconscious Sonic, giving a low growl.

            "Such a temper," Mecha scolded. 

            "Where the _hell_ are we going, anyway?"

            "We're going to pick up Shyfter, of course. I know exactly where he was when you two left him alone. He's in that old laboratory, right?"

            Bane's eyes widened. "How did you…?"

            "I told you. I saw him on surveillance."

            "Dammit…" Bane shook his head.

            The group reached the ruined lab. Mecha walked up to the large metallic doors and pounded on them. "Open," he commanded.

            No response.

            "Open!!" He shouted.

            Still nothing.

            Mecha growled loudly, pounding on the door frantically. "Why…won't…you…_open!"_

            Bane chuckled.

            Mecha turned to the hedgehog. "_You_ open it!"

            The bot pushed Bane toward the door; its strength was quite incredible.

            Bane glanced at the keypad for a moment, trying to think of a plan. He knew that if Sonic weren't taking his nap, he'd bolt for it right about now. But Sonic was powerless; he wasn't able to just zip away like before. He was vulnerable…and so was Bane.

            His sword wasn't in his hands.

            Bane sighed; keying in the code fast enough that Mecha couldn't catch it. The door gave a loud "thunk" sound, then hissed open.

            Mecha took the lead again as they entered the lab. The bot resumed grasping Bane's shoulders and forcing him forward. His mind was racing now. He didn't have his sword…what the hell was he going to do? Sonic was unconscious, and he had no means of fighting back.

            Nothing left to do.

            "Bide my time…" he muttered.

            "What did you say?" Mecha turned his head, still walking.

            Bane shook his head. "Nothing important."

            Finally they reached the computer room. Mecha crept up to the chair in the middle, where Derek was sitting before.

            "Gotcha!" He shouted, whirling it around. "What?"

            An empty chair.

            "Where did he go?!" Mecha pointed at Bane.

            Bane shrugged. "Hell if I know, if he had a reason for leaving, then he left."

            Mecha growled again, throwing the chair across the room. "We're going to find him."

            He pressed the monitor button.

            "Hello…what's this…?" Mecha said, reading a small text document.

_            Sonic,_

_            Sorry I didn't stay, but I found out what Shadow is, and I think I might know where he's going. I know it sounds weird, but he said to go where the "Angels were," and I looked it up and found out._

_            If you get this, I'm heading to Angel Island…I have no idea how I'll get there yet. According to everything here, it's a floating island in the sky, so I'll have to fly to get up there. But Shadow's going there, so I gotta follow him. You understand, right? If you follow me, great. But if you don't, I understand. You're needed with the resistance, and you're invaluable to them._

_            But you have no idea what Shadow means to me…he means…well…he means the same to me as you do right now and I…I might lose him if I don't go. Please, come with me if you can._

_            Your friend,_

_            Derek._

            "Angel Island, eh…? Easy enough to reach, I suppose…the coordinates are probably in the system somewhere," Mecha fingered his steel chin.

            "A floating island…?" Bane asked himself.

            _Derek…you might've just saved your own life…and ours too._

            Mecha turned to the Swat-bots. "We're heading for my ship. Our destination is Angel Island."

            Bane scoffed. "I suppose we get to rot jail, eh?"

            "Don't be silly, you're coming along. How am I going to catch my prize without any bait? Besides…I want to have somebody to gloat over."

            The hedgehog growled.

            "Bring plenty of sedative," Mecha commanded. "I don't want _that_ one getting to frisky," he pointed at Sonic.

            The bots forced the two living hedgehogs out of the laboratory, and Mecha turned off the monitor.

            "Soon…soon I will be complete. I will be divine."

Metal Sonic's Ship 

**2 Days Later, 3:00 PM**

**-----------------------------**

            _Sonic…_

            "Huh…wha…?" Sonic moaned.

            _Hey, wake up…_

            "Who…"

            "Sonic!" Bane's voice sounded.

            Sonic slowly opened his eyes, waiting for them to come into focus.

            "Thank God…Sonic, you okay?"

            Sonic sat up very slowly, wincing as he did so. "Yeah…where are we…?"

            "We're on Mecha's ship…heading for Angel Island."

            "Angel Island…?"

            "Yeah. Derek's there, got a two-day head start on us, too."

            "Derek…is there? Oh…what…what's wrong with me…?" The hedgehog bobbed his head around.

            "You're under heavy sedatives…you've been out of it for two full days."

            "How…did I wake up then…? I figured Mecha would've kept me unconscious…"

            Bane pointed at a bandage wrapped around Sonic's arm. "Well, he didn't figure me sucking it out of ya…sorry about the sloppy field dressings, but I wanted you to wake up sooner, rather than later."

            "You…sucked it out…?"

            "Well, I got what I could. My tongue's still a bit tingly, actually. Mecha never administered it himself, so the bots didn't figure out what I was doing."

            Sonic tried to stand, but fell back on his cot. "I can't walk…"

            "Well, that'll change in time. It'll get out of your system in about a day…well, most of it. I'm sure you won't be able to run for awhile."

            "I…can't run…?"

            "Yeah…and I don't have my sword, or my guns. We're pretty powerless right now," Bane sighed.

            "You…don't _need_ your weapons…you know."

            "No, I do. I can't fight with my hands very well, I…I trained so long with that sword that I just feel so powerless without it."

            "You…feel powerless without a sword? Then pick up a piece of pipe or something. Bane…you're not powerless, and it's easy to turn anything into a weapon."

            "I…hmm." Bane stood, looking out a small porthole.

            "You can…I'm sure you can. You can get us out of here. I just hope you don't mind carrying around a little dead weight."

            The black hedgehog smirked. "Of course not. I'll think of something, but I'm open to suggestions."

            "Get us out…all I can suggest…" Sonic said.

================================= 

"I wanted to know who you really are…

I needed the chance to stitch up my scars…

I'm closer to you than I was in the start…

Come dive right in, and tear me apart…"

                        --Adema, "Unstable"

==================================

Angel Island, May 28 

**8:45 PM**

**----------------------------**

            "Destination reached! Destination reached!" Derek's ship computer screeched.

            The Overlander snapped awake, holding his chest as if he were trying to keep his heart inside. "Don't scare me like that!"

            "Sorry, but you needed to awaken. Destination is confirmed."

            "We're here?" Derek asked. "Where?"

            "We are at Angel Island. Should we prepare to land?"

            Derek grabbed the control stick and turned the craft, looking for any land at all. "There's nothing to land on."

            "Processing…processing…"

            Derek kept looking around for any dry land, but he was unable to find any, except for the coastline that was visible in the far distance.

            "There are no safe landing zones in this area, Derek."

            Derek rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Thanks."

            Then, he realized his mistake.

            Turning the craft upward, he began to look for any landmasses floating around. The sky was ablaze from the setting sun, so there was still enough light to see anything large like an island…or as it was described…a small continent. Then, he saw it.

            "There it is, land there!" Derek said, pointing at a large black spot in the sky.

            "Affirmative," the computer said.

            The ship lurched forward, cutting through the air currents as if they were nothing. The force pushed Derek back into his chair, but it wasn't anything sudden or unfamiliar. In fact, it was somewhat relaxing.

            "Computer…I have a question."

            "Ask."

            "Why…am I able to pilot you?"

            "Dr. Robotnik programmed all vehicles to match any DNA code he specified. It matches his, Snively's, and Derek Shyfter's DNA patterns."

            "Why?"

            "In case of emergency. In his case, if he needed to evacuate quickly, he could just jump inside. In your case…in your case…your case…your case…case…case…ca…."

            "Computer? What's wrong?"

            "Unstable fields…performing system checks…"

            Derek looked out the window briefly. They were very close to the island now.

            "System checks negative…electro-magnetic fields…unstable…verifying…"

            "Computer…? Land…? Can you land?" Derek asked, worriedly.

            "Fields verified…Chaos…fields are…interfering with normal…system performance."

            "Chaos?"

            "Correct…Chaos…Entropy…"

            "What? Computer! Land!"

            "Landing gear inoperative…crash landing imminent…"

            The craft tilted downward at an angle, the force of gravity pushed Derek's head near the ceiling, and he had to fight to keep his hand on the controls.

"Computer!!!"

            "Brace for impact…"

            Derek let go of the controls and held on to the seat, wincing, waiting.

            The ground came up suddenly, and the craft rocked around. Derek remembered how badly he bounced around as the vehicle just scraped loudly into the earth.

            He then blacked out.

----------------------------------------

            _Am I dreaming…?_

            "Derek, my boy!" Dr. Robotnik's voice called.

            "Yeah!" A ten-year-old Derek responded.

            _Julian…err…Robotnik?_

            "I want to show you something, okay?"

            The boy nodded and followed the large Overlander.

            "See that?" Robotnik pointed at one of his ships, "That's called a Stealth-Bot. One of my creations."

            "Wow! You made a flying craft?"

            "Yep. Now listen closely, Derek. I want you to know that if you need to, you can pilot one of these."

            Derek tilted his head. "Why would I need to?"

            Robotnik got down on one knee, and gently gripped Derek's shoulders.

            "Listen, Derek…out there, there isn't anything to see. It's a dark world full of robotics and technology, and no life. If you need to, fly above it, fly past it. Escape it, and find life. If something should happen to me, I want you to go out and find life on this planet."

            _What…is he saying? Does he regret what he's doing?_

            "I…okay!"

            "Good, now Derek…" Robotnik's voice trailed off.

            The sound faded into silence, as Derek found himself leaving the dream.

----------------------------------------

Angel Island, May 28 

**11:14 PM**

**----------------------------**

            The Overlander's head was pounding.

            Derek rolled over on his back, clutching his head. Giving a low moan, he hoped that it would somehow cure his headache.

            The crackle of electricity sparking echoed in the distance, and Derek slowly opened his eyes. The craft he was flying earlier was about fifty feet away from him, with its nose deep in the dirt.

            "Crap…no flying that now…but I'm here anyway…" he moaned, sitting up.

            Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, he ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, feeling the cool breeze waft over it and down his neck. He shivered slightly, but only because he wasn't used to the cold yet.

            Finding the strength to stand was hard, almost impossible. His bones felt like jelly for the longest time. Finally, gritting his teeth, he looked past all the aches his body had and stood. Reaching to the back of his coat, he was relieved to find that he still had his katars. He had no idea what was in store up here.

            "Which way to go…?" He looked around.

            The night was filled with the sounds of crickets, even a few frogs at times. The nightlife was alive, and very active. Derek found this place very peaceful...much nicer than Robotropolis, that's for sure.

            Then, a strange sense of power…and decay…entered his mind.

            He turned toward the direction the sense came from. He tried to figure out just what it was…but decay was the best word for it. Nodding, he looked back at the crashed Stealth-Bot once more.

            "That way it is, then," he said, turning away and walking into the wilderness.

Angel Island, May 28 

**11:20 PM**

**----------------------------**

            Knuckles snapped awake at the sound of a twig snapping.

            _What the…?_

            "Who's there?!"

            Nothing, except the rustling of leaves.

            Knuckles jumped up from the tree he was resting in, landing hard on the ground.

            "I said who's there?!"

            Still nothing. However, Knuckles could make out the sound of someone gasping. He tried to look for whatever made the sound, but the night sky barely even had a moon, and the darkness was very unforgiving to the Echidna's eyes. So he relied on sound once more.

            "There!" He shouted, punching the trunk of a nearby tree. The force behind the blow was so powerful, that the tree began to fall.

            "Aaaaah!!!" screamed somebody, as they broke into an all out run.

            "Oh no you don't! You! Get back here!!!" Knuckles pursued.

            Finally, the Echidna caught up to the shadowy figure, and swung a hard right hook. The figure spun to the side, pushing Knuckles' elbow into the swing.

            "Wise guy, eh?" The Echidna responded, giving a swift left jab.

            The figure dodged again, kicking Knuckles' feet out from under him. Knuckles shot right back up and slammed his fist into the figure's side. He growled in pain as he rolled on the ground. Knuckles leapt high into the air, raising his right fist high in the air.

            The figure kicked up and back flipped just in time. Knuckles slammed his fist into the ground with such force that the earth cracked underneath.

            "Listen to me! I don't want to fight!" The figure shouted.

            "You're after the Emerald! I _know_ why you're here!" Knuckles growled.

            "What? No!" The figure shouted, breaking into a run.

            Knuckles grasped the figure by his shoulder, pulling him back and spinning him around. Shoving hard, he pushed the figure into a nearby tree.

            "I don't want to fight you!"

            Knuckles punched the figure in the face hard. The force shook a small flashlight out from his coat pocket. The Echidna picked it up and flicked it on.

            "I'm looking for someone!"

            "Shut up!" Knuckles shouted, punching the figure in the stomach, his full strength pushed into the blow.

            He flashed the light into his opponent's face, and his eyes widened.

            It was an Overlander. 

_Derek?!_ He thought.

            "I'm…lost…" he said, blood running from his mouth. The Overlander collapsed to his knees, holding his stomach. Spitting blood out of his mouth, he coughed harshly, and crashed to the ground.

            Knuckles flashed the light on him once more.

            "What have I done?!" He asked himself.


	8. Dive to Blue

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 7: "Dive to Blue"

By Bane Keldare

====================================

"It's not so bad down here…

Underwater…

Once you get past the fear…

Underwater…

I sense you through the haze…

Just like a memory…

I've been down here for days…

Have you seen me?

I feel your touch…

Will you pull me up again?

                        --Vertical Horizon, "Underwater"

====================================

            The endless blue of the water flowed on for eternity around Derek. Once again, another dream, another dream about being completely submerged in the ocean.

            Once again, he didn't need to breathe, but felt he should. Every time he tried, the pressure on his chest told him otherwise. His heartbeat echoed in every wave as he just floated, looking for some sign of life anywhere.

            The sun refracted through the waves in beautiful patterns, and the floor of the ocean was nowhere in sight. He knew he was pretty far down, but he wasn't afraid this time. He knew he was dreaming. He knew that he wouldn't drown.

            _Again…Shadow…are you here?_

            _"Right here,"_ Shadow said. _"Up here,"_

            Derek glanced skyward, and caught the visage of Shadow, floating much like he was. The hedgehog's face was shadowed due to the sun, but Derek could tell that he was smiling softly.

            _"Shadow…where are we?"_

            _"We're here, Derek. This is where the angels are."_

_            "What do you keep talking about angels for? I know I'm at Angel Island…but…"_

_            "Yes…where the angels are."_

_            "Shadow…what are you doing?"_

Shadow smiled wider. _"I'm making sure you never have to scream again."_

_            "What?"_

_            "That one night…you screamed so loudly. I want to take that pain away. That's why I'm going to where the angels are."_

Derek shook his head. _"I…I don't understand!"_

            _"You will. Trust me."_

            A splash sounded, and Derek shot his eyes toward it. A body began to drift slowly down into the sea, sinking under its own weight. Derek watched as Shadow just let it fall right past him, toward Derek.

            It was Sonic.

            _"Sonic! What the hell?"_

_            "He's fallen. A fallen angel, Derek. Let him go."_

_            "What? No! Shadow, don't you understand? He's my friend! I'm not going to let him go!"_

Shadow gave a confused look. _"He'll pull you under, don't you know that?"_

_            "But…I can't just let him go!"_

_            "Well, you can either let him go, or come with me. Your choice. But Derek, he's dead…he's drowned already."_

_            "What?"_

            "Can't you see it? The lifeless gaze in his eyes? How limp his body is? He's dead. Gone." 

            _"No…no he can't be dead!"_

_            "But he is."_

_            "No…no! Sonic! You can't be dead! You can't be!"_

Sonic's body sank deeper and deeper. Not knowing what to do, Derek watched in horror.

            _"Sonic!!!"_

**Angel Island, May 29,**

**9:10 AM**

**-----------------------------**

            In front of the Master Emerald, Knuckles the Echidna was pacing frantically.

            "Dammit…what the _hell_ was he doing out here?! I just about _killed_ him!"

            _"I told you he was coming. You worry about me too much."_

            Holding his gloved hands behind his back, the sweat beaded on his brow as he walked back and forth, back and forth. That fateful encounter in the middle of the night…but it was so damn dark! He could've been anybody.

            Then he remembered Derek spitting the blood out of his mouth. He knew what that meant…serious injury, to say the least. It looked like too much blood to just be mouth injury.

            "Dammit!" He punched the ground, leaving a small crack.

            After that incident, Knuckles immediately tended Derek's wounds and put him up in his bed. He watched off and on throughout the night, and every time Derek's breathing got quieter it made him worry. He'd be okay…right?

            _"He'll be fine. You racked him pretty good across the jaw too, right?"_

Knuckles nodded. "Yeah…might've just cut his gums or something…I just hope that…damn. That shot to the stomach…I put my whole body into that damn punch."

            _"You'd be surprised…he was supposed to die once before."_

            Knuckles sat down in front of the Emerald, in a lotus position. Resting his fists on his knees, he closed his eyes.

            "Nothing left to but wait," he said, and began meditating.

----------------------------------

            Two hours passed, and Knuckles meditated, even in his currently worried state. It was so confusing; he just didn't get it. Why was he so concerned with this kid's survival? Was it because of the dreams he'd had of this guy before? Was it because of that look he gave before he passed out from that punch.

            No. Knuckles knew what it was. He'd never killed before.

            Now he knew why he was worried…despite all the years he spent guarding the Master Emerald, he'd never killed his attackers. He'd gotten close, but never actually killed anyone. He was always a good judge on how much a person could take. Sonic, whom he'd mistaken for another common thief, was the toughest match he'd ever had. Even then, Knuckles held back at moments. He knew that Sonic could get out of any jam with the speed that hedgehog could control.

            But this time…he just got so overwhelmed by fury that he just…let go.

            Now somebody could _die._

            His mind focused on a faint sound now…for some reason it was getting louder.

            A heartbeat.

            _Is that…Derek's heart?_

            The sound was of a normal speed…and it stopped increasing in volume. A strange sensation came over Knuckles…the same one he'd felt before. Like something around him was sliding in and out of place…like the world was changing. The last time it happened, he'd seen Derek die.

            The heartbeat began to slow down.

            _No…Derek…hold on…hold on!_

            The heartbeat slowed even more. Thump-thump…thump-thump…thump…thump…thump……thump…

            _Derek!_

            Then, there was silence. Knuckles snapped open his eyes.

            "No!" He shouted.

            _"Relax…remember…what you saw was what was supposed to happen."_

"I know! And now he's…he's…"

            _"No…remember what happened last time?"_

            Last time…Knuckles saw Derek get shot. But…he was alive…

            "Is he…?"

            _"Let him awake on his own time. He needs rest."_

            Knuckles wiped his brow and sighed heavily.

            "Thank god…" he said.

Angel Island, May 29 

**11:08 AM**

**----------------------------**

            _Don't give up!_

            "Huh…?" Derek asked.

            _Fight it! Use that power of yours and fight it!_

"Who's…Shadow…? No…"

            Derek slowly sat up, realizing that he was in a bed, surprisingly. His head was pounding, and a strong, stabbing pain lay deep within his stomach. Resting on his elbows, he even found that to be a struggle, as he moaned in pain just trying to maintain his position.

            _Don't give up!_

            "…That you, Sonic? Is that…"

            The pain surged.

            "Urgh…URRRRRRGHHHH!!!!" He screamed, falling out of the bed. Doubling over, he wrapped his arms around his stomach and brought his knees up, rolling back and forth trying to get the pain away. He felt like he was on fire inside…was he…dying?

            Then, that strange sensation just forced its way into his mind again. The same one that occurred when that Swat-bot almost shot him to death…but there wasn't any danger here, was there?

            "What…is this?! What am I feeling!!!"

            The sensation wrapped itself around Derek like a bubble, which then lifted off the ground. Derek sat in a fetal position, floating in midair, next to the bed. The sensation was physical…Derek knew that now. Opening his eyes, he could see it…he could _see_ the force that he was feeling. The bubble darkened the space around him just slightly…like a very pale shadow wrapped spherically around him, distorting the light like waves of water.

            He could feel the pain in his stomach slowly ebbing away…with every heartbeat; it got less and less intense. Soon, it was no longer pain…and soon after that, there was nothing to feel at all; he felt normal.

            As if the bubble suddenly popped, Derek crashed to the ground. The sensation was gone now, and Derek's head felt light. His vision darkened, his eyes unfocused. He had to fight just to get his own sight under control. He didn't want to black out…he'd been out of it long enough.

            Forcing his eyes closed, he forced them open again, hoping the shock would snap him out of it. It did, and he had to shake his head just to clear it out again.

            "What the hell…was that? Just like…last time…"

            Letting the thought go, he slowly began to stand. He felt normal again…just confused. Confused at what just happened, and confused as to what was going to happen.

            In other words, he was _completely_ normal again.

Metal Sonic's Ship, May 29 

**11:15 AM**

**------------------------------------**

            "Hey Sonic…wake up," Bane said, nudging the snoozing Sonic.

            "Huh…? What's up Bane?" he slowly opened his eyes.

            Bane smirked. "I've got a plan."

            "You do? Great! What is it?"

            Bane pointed to a grate in the ceiling. "I think I can squeeze through the vents…and get into the storage area. If I get there, I can get my sword and guns, and sneak back here."

            "And then?"

            "Then…we wait until we land."

            "That's it? You get your sword and we wait?"

            "Yeah. When we land, the guards will come to get us, and I'll surprise em. Then we get out of here. We'll probably be there shortly…this ship's a lot faster than I thought."

            Sonic raised an eyebrow.

            "You do realize we're over the ocean now. If we 'escaped,' we'd just fall to our deaths," Bane reminded.

            The azure hedgehog crossed his arms. "Dammit…forgot about that. Well, you'd better get to it."

            Bane nodded, and reached up toward the grate. Pulling as hard as he could, he managed to pry it off, almost dropping it as he did so. "That was close."

            Standing on the cot, Bane reached up into the vent, hooking his arms on the sides. Then, painfully, he pulled himself up and into the duct.

            "Good luck!" Sonic gave a weak thumbs-up.

            "Thanks," Bane said, sliding down the duct.

Angel Island, May 29 

**11:15 AM**

**----------------------------**

            The cool breeze of the floating island flowed through Knuckles' dreadlocks as he stood outside his cabin. The feeling of solace warmed his heart, as the ambient wildlife chirped and cheered through the sunny day.

            "I know you're awake…come on…"

            The sound of footsteps approached the door, the stopped. The door creaked open, and Knuckles turned to face the person behind it.

            "Good…you're awake," Knuckles nodded, still maintaining his stoic expression.

            "Um…yeah. What…what happened?" The Overlander asked.

            "I mistook you for somebody else, that's all."

            The Overlander looked confused. "Um…okay…?"

            "Knuckles," the Echidna interrupted.

            "What?"

            "My name. Knuckles."

            The Overlander nodded. "I'm—"

            "Derek…yeah, I know."

            "How…?" Derek lifted an eyebrow.

            "Trust me, I know. What I want to know is _why_ you're here."

            Derek gave a sullen look. "I'm looking for someone. I have no idea if he's even here though. I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be here but he's important to me…"

            "And just _who_ are you looking for?" Knuckles crossed his arms.

            "Shadow. A childhood friend of mine…I thought he was gone, or dead. But now I know that isn't possible. He's coming here…for some reason or another."

            "What makes you so sure?"

            "This is Angel Island, right?"

            Knuckles nodded.

            "I thought so…he said he was going to where the 'angels were.'"

            The Echidna shook his head and looked down to the ground, lost in thought.

            "You're _sure_ he's either here, or coming here?"

            Derek nodded.

            "Alright, I'll let you wait for him…on one condition."

            "Yeah?"

            "A sparring session. You and me, for one hour. Last night you managed to dodge everything I threw at you, and the sun was already set. I want to see how good you are with actual light."

            Derek cocked his head for a moment, and then straightened out once more. Pulling out his katars, he threw them over to the ground.

            "You didn't have to put 'em down."

            "Sorry," Derek said, "but if I don't, I'll probably use them. It's a reflex."

            Knuckles nodded. "Fair enough."

            The two stood in their battle stances for a moment, just staring at each other. Derek had a serious look on his face, and Knuckles was just smiling.

            The Echidna charged, launching a flurry of left and right hooks. Derek took his time, and spent most of his energy deflecting and dodging blows. Knuckles' fists were fast…the fastest he'd even seen…it was hard to keep up. Knuckles tried an uppercut, but Derek arched his body backwards, landing on his hands. Pushing off, he flipped backwards and landed again. Knuckles continued his relentless charge. After another five minutes of Derek's evasion, Knuckles backed off.

            Derek smiled. "My turn,"

            And the two sparred on, smiling, enjoying every minute of it…

Metal Sonic's Ship, May 29 

**12:30 PM**

**------------------------------------**

            The grate squeaked as it swung open, held on by only two of the latches.

            "Bane…you make it?" Sonic whispered.

            The black hedgehog landed, sword in hand. "Yeah, got 'em. How close are we to landing?"

            Sonic shook his head. "It's not good…I heard something about being there within about two minutes."

            "Dammit…" Bane said, hiding his sword under the cot's mattress. "Well, at least he guns are loaded."

            Sonic shook his head. "You know, we could've just gone ahead without them."

            "Nope…I'm sorry, Sonic. I don't have any super speed like you…I hate to say it, but without my weapons, I'm not much use to anyone."

            "Hey, it's not like I'm that helpful right now…I can barely run. The feeling's slowly coming back into my legs."

            "Good…At least you're as fast as me…that's all that matters right now," Bane said, reattaching the grate to the ceiling.

            A sudden force pulled the two hedgehogs toward the door of their room, followed by a sinking feeling. The ship was landing, that much they both knew. "I guess we're here," Sonic remarked. "I hope Derek's okay."

            "I do too, and we've got to make sure he stays that way," Bane said, checking his revolvers to make sure they were loaded properly.

            The ship's movement stopped, and Bane immediately hid his guns in his trench coat. The door hissed open, and the robotic guard entered.

            "_Prisoners. Report to the bridge. We have arrived_," it ordered.

            Bane nodded, and walked over to the bed. "Sure," he said, sliding his blade out. Spinning as fast as he could, he severed the bot's head from its shoulders, letting it slump to the ground.

            "Let's go!" Bane motioned. The two ran out of the room.

            More guards came, but Bane made quick work of them.

            "Which way's the exit?!" Sonic asked.

            The two reached a junction, and Bane pointed left. "That way!"

            As they dashed for their lives, they could see light streaking in down the hallway. The exit…they were close.

            A metallic hedgehog stepped out in front of them, glaring with crimson eyes. They stopped cold.

            "Mecha," Bane sneered.

            "Indeed," Mecha said with a cool, calm tone. "And…just _where_ were you planning on escaping to?"

            Bane held his katana out in a guarding stance. "None of your business!"

            "Ah…it must've been to find Derek, am I right?"

            Bane and Sonic didn't say a word.

            "I see. Do you want to know _why_ I want him so badly?"

            Sonic growled.

            "It's because he'll make me perfect. Derek has a power that nobody could possibly comprehend…that nobody could combat against. I must have it, and I will."

            Bane chuckled. "I don't see how."

            "It's easy. All I have to do is roboticize Derek."

            The two hedgehogs shot their eyes open wide.

            "That's right. You don't understand, this is all very possible. When a creature is roboticized, their life, their mind, it all becomes digitalized. When Derek's mind is digital, all I have to do is upload my own consciousness into it. Simple. And then the power will be mine."

            "Not if we can help it."

            "I will be divine. How are you going to stop me? With that sword?"

            Bane looked at the sword for a moment, then sheathed it. "No." Pulling out his two revolvers, he pointed them at Mecha. "With these."

            "Really…and what makes you think I won't dodge it again?"

            "I don't. Tell me, this hallway here…is it perfectly square?"

            Mecha laughed. "I don't see how…yes. Yes, it's perfectly square, I had it built myself."

            Bane smiled. "Good."

            Twirling the two guns once, he then aimed them downward and to the side. Firing both at the same time, the loud cracks rang throughout the hallway. The bullets bounced off the ground, and into the wall. From there, they shop up toward the ceiling, then hitting the opposite wall.

            Both of them right into Mecha's knee joints.

            The robot howled as he fell onto the ground. His crimson eyes flashed even brighter, as if he were trying to express…pain. Could a robot feel pain?  
            "You! What did you…!"

            Bane blew the smoke away from the gun barrels. "Easy. You can predict every possible thing, so I did something you wouldn't expect. Who would've thought it'd work so well?"

            "You won't…get away with this?!!" Mecha snarled, holding both his knees with his clawed hands.

            Sonic walked past, chuckling slightly. Bane stopped in front of Mecha and pointed both his revolvers at Mecha's eyes.

            "You have no idea how tempting this is."

            Mecha gave a wry grin. "Then why don't you do it?"

            Bane gave an angry look, and his hands began shaking.

            "Can't do it, eh? I didn't think so. You're all alike…'I don't want to stoop to your level,' and all that," the robot mocked.

            Bane smiled. "Well, it's true. We're good guys because we don't like to resort to base means to accomplish something. I think that a good couple of shots to the knees was what you deserved. Besides…if you live to tell about it, you can remember, every day, that you were beaten by me. Not Sonic, who is a worthy equal. Me."

            Putting his guns away, Bane followed Sonic out of the craft, leaving Mecha behind with his wounds.

========================================= 

"And I came such a long way to where you are…

Now I'm falling from this star…

And I can't forget it,

I'm not ready yet.

Cause the way you look at me…

I can say you set me free.

And no matter what you say,

I won't go away…I won't go away…"

                        --Vertical Horizon, "Won't Go Away"

=========================================

Angel Island, May 29 

**12:40 PM**

**----------------------------**

            "You're good, I'll give you that," Knuckles said, breathing hard.

            "Yeah…you're pretty good yourself," Derek responded, also winded. "I think I'm done sparring…it's been an hour, right?"

            Knuckles nodded. "And then some. It was fun though. Never met someone who could actually dodge my punches before."

            Derek rubbed his shoulder. "Never met someone you could punch as hard as you can…I'll probably feel this for a week! I'm surprised it's not broken."

            "It's not broken because I held back," Knuckles smirked.

            Derek's eyes shot open. "Oh…" he replied.

            "Last night, I didn't. Almost killed you, too. Sorry."

            Derek tilted his head. "I almost…died?"

            "Yeah."

            "Then how did I survive…? Did you heal me, or…?"

            Knuckles shook his head. "I didn't do anything…didn't know_ what_ to do. I just put you in the bed and let you stay there."

            "Then how…"

            "I don't know. You somehow did it yourself, but I don't know what you did."

            "That, Echidna, is because Derek did it himself," a voice came from behind.

            "What? Who's there?!!" Knuckles said, whirling around.

            Nothing.

            The two looked around in silence, trying to find the person in question, but to no avail. All they could see was a sunlit day on Angel Island…all they could hear was the wind blowing.

            "His is a power all his own. It swallows everything around it like a storm," the voice came again.

            "Who are you?!" Knuckles asked.

            "Derek!!!" Another voice called.

            "Sonic? Over here! Sonic!!" Derek called, looking around.

            The blue hedgehog emerged from the nearby forest, and greeted Derek with a smile. Knuckles crossed his arms as he watched his friend approach, followed by a black hedgehog in a red trench coat.

            "Sonic the Hedgehog…what brings you here…again," Knuckles rolled his eyes.

            "Yeah, yeah…good to see you too, Knuckles."

            "Who's this?" The echidna pointed toward the black hedgehog.

            "This is Bane…he's…my brother."

            "You? You have a brother?! What, does he have super speed too?"

            Bane shook his head. "Nope…just a sword and some guns. That's it."

            Knuckles chuckled. "Heh, whatever works."

            Derek stayed silent.

            "You're bein' quiet. What's wrong Derek?" Sonic asked.

            "You…you followed me here? You had people relying on you and you…you followed me?"

            "Of course! Well, we didn't have much choice, but if we did, I'd still follow you. The resistance is fine without me, but you…you were all alone and I just couldn't leave you."

            Derek smiled. "Thanks. Thank you so much, Sonic."

            Sonic began to blush slightly. "Don't mention it…yer gettin' all mushy on me."

            "What did you mean you didn't have a choice?" Knuckles inquired.

            "We were captured by Mecha…he's here on the island now, minus a couple of knee-joints," Sonic laughed.

            "He's here?! Mecha is on the island?!"

            "Who's Mecha?"

            Sonic's face darkened. "One of 'Buttnik's creations to destroy me. Metal Sonic. We call him Mecha for short."

            "Metal…Sonic? Is he as fast as you?"

            Sonic nodded. "Maybe a bit slower."

            The conversation died, and the four stood around trying to think of something else. There was a question that was on Sonic's mind…but it was just at the tip of his tongue…then, he remembered.

            "Derek…did you ever find Shadow?"

            Derek shook his head. "No…never showed up."

            Suddenly, Derek crossed his arms, hugging his chest tightly. He began to shiver, and his breath became visible in the sunny weather.

            "Derek?! What's wrong?!" Sonic asked.

            "It's c-c-cold…s-so c-c-c-c-c-cold. S-something's…"

            A bright flash stunned the four companions, forcing them all to rub their eyes due to the tears that watered up. When they did, what they saw frightened them a little.

            For there, standing in the middle of all of them, was a figure cloaked in black.

            "Derek…sorry to keep you waiting," the figure spoke.

            "Shadow? Shadow is that…you?"

            The figure pulled back his hood, revealing the face of a black hedgehog, spines adorned with red.

            "Sorry about that chill…I was 'chatting' with the Master Emerald…now I know where the last Chaos Emeralds are."

            "You…why are you after them?! What's your angle?!" Sonic asked, pointing angrily.

            Shadow crossed his arms. "None of your concern, hedgehog."

            Sonic growled, and charged as fast as he could. It was obvious that he was regaining his speed, because he made it up to about 30 miles per hour instantly. Swinging his fist, he found he'd hit nothing but air, for Shadow had disappeared.

            Reappearing behind Sonic, Shadow's expression turned to anger.

            "Fool!" He shouted, pointing his hand toward the blue hedgehog. A small blast of energy flared from his palm, blasting Sonic. He landed about ten feet away, stunned, and very hurt.

            "Shadow!" Derek shouted.

            The black hedgehog began to laugh maniacally.

            Derek looked on in desperation.

"Shadow…what are you doing? Why are you…?"

Shadow interrupted, pointing accusingly at Derek. "I think you know why."

Derek shook his head. "No, I don't! I don't understand!"

The black hedgehog clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Just how long has it been since you've been able to get a good night's sleep? How long have you actually experienced true, total, utter silence?"

The question caught Derek off guard. He'd never thought about it before…his search for Shadow overpowered any other sensation he had. But now, now he knew what Shadow was talking about.

"What is that noise?"

Shadow nodded and smiled. "That, Derek, is a scream from the planet."

The human's eyes widened, eyebrows clinging together in confusion.

"This planet is _dying,_ Derek. And it's not dying a quick, silent death. Mobius has been hurt, wounded. It's bleeding, salt's being poured in. It's screaming in pain, Derek. It's screaming for what few it has to hold on to. It's screaming for them to end its pain."

Now that Shadow said something, Derek knew what he was talking about. The first night, in Sonic's cabin, he awoke to a sound that drove him near mad. The forest…so quiet…but there wasn't a silence to be found. It sounded like low moans, followed by piercing shrieks. Then, Derek knew.

He had never experienced silence before.

"That's why Robotnik put you in the stasis cell to begin with. He cared for you, and the chemicals in the cell at least let you sleep in peace. Now you're probably used to the noise, but it still hurts sometimes, doesn't it?"

Derek nodded, a look of realization still stricken across his face.

"Shadow…what are you…going to do…?"

Shadow clasped one of the Chaos Emeralds in his hand, tossing it up and down slightly.

"I'm going to take away the planet's pain. I'm going to let you know what silence is."

"But why? Why are you doing all of this? Why did you hurt Sonic? Why aren't you coming back to see me?!"

"As for Sonic, he got in the way. But you…you're all grown up now. You don't need me to hold your hand anymore."

"No!" Derek shouted, "I don't want you to hold my hand! I want you to just…be with me! I just want to be around you again! I haven't seen you for so long, I just…I just want you here. I don't care about you helping me or me helping you! We're friends! We're friends…aren't we?"

Shadow's head began to fog up slightly, his vision defocusing in minute amounts. The words he never thought he'd hear…words he subconsciously wanted to hear.

"Shadow…please…"

And then Derek said the one thing to set Shadow off completely. He didn't know why he said it, but the words poured into the Overlander's head. They consumed him…they _became _him.

"Give them a chance…to be happy…"

Give them a chance to be happy… 

"Maria?!" Shadow yelled toward the sky.

Clutching the sides of his head, Shadow dropped the emerald in an audible "clink." A painful expression flashed across his face, as he gritted his teeth, trying to get whatever was troubling him out of his head. "Maria…"

Dropping to his knees, Shadow bowed over in pain, head almost touching the ground. "What…is this…?"

His breath was becoming shallow now, raspy breaths echoing around. Grunts and groans of pain sprinkled themselves in with shudders, as Shadow just fought to control his thoughts…fought to control himself.

"Derek…" Shadow struggled, shaking arm outstretched. "I…want to be with you…I really…really….do…"

Derek ran over to Shadow, placing his hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. "Then come with me. That's all you have to do, you know it!!"

"No!" Shadow grunted. "You don't understand…this power…it's…it's…"

Derek's eyes began to water up. "What…what is it doing?!!"

"…Unstoppable…controlling…Derek, get away from me!!"

"No! Not now! Not this time!"

"This power it's…it's…"

"Shadow…" Derek sniffled.

"…Consuming…"

            "How perfect," came a voice.

            A loud thump came from behind the group, as Bane fell to the ground, unconscious. Behind him stood Mecha, holding his hands together after delivering a hammer blow.

            "Bane…" Sonic said weakly, outstretching a shaking hand.

            Knuckles charged the robot, but Mecha was too fast. After dashing behind the Echidna, he slammed him in the head with his metallic fist. The blow stunned Knuckles, leaving him on his hands and knees, shaking his head.

            "Knuckles!" Derek shouted. "Shadow, you've gotta do something!"

            The hedgehog was too busy clutching at his head…fighting himself to do anything.

            "This is too perfect. Now all I have to do is take care of you, Sonic."

            "H…how did you…"

            Mecha laughed. "Did you think I had no means of repairing myself? Idiot," he said, grasping Sonic by one of his wrists.

            "Where are you taking him?!" Derek asked, grabbing Shadow and holding him on his shoulder.

            "I'm getting rid of him, the best way I know how," Mecha said, eying the nearby edge of a cliff, or something.

            Derek's eyes widened. He was going to throw Sonic off of Angel Island!

            The robot stood Sonic up straight, and glared his red eyes into Sonic's green eyes.

            "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long. Farewell," he said.

            To Derek, everything fell into slow motion.

            Mecha's fist swung upward slowly, connecting with Sonic's jaw. The sheer force, the strength of his robotic arms, forced Sonic upward, and backward.

            "No!!!!!" Derek screamed, letting go of Shadow.

            Sonic slowly began to fall…reaching out a hand to Derek before he fell over the side.

            "Sonic!!!" Derek screamed, dashing toward the edge.

            Mecha stepped in front, hoping to catch the Overlander, but he didn't expect Derek to be so good at what he did. Derek jumped and somersaulted, landing on Mecha's head. Then, vaulting off the robot, he leaped high into the air.

            Over the edge.

            "Shadow! If you cared! You'd help me save him!!!"

            Shadow watched in horror as his childhood friend disappeared over the edge.

            "Derek!"

            Mecha watched too. His chance at power, it was all fading. "No!"

            While Sonic fell facing the sky, Derek straightened, falling face down toward Sonic. Angel Island was a very long way up, so there was plenty of room to fall. Finally, he reached the falling hedgehog, and grabbed him, hugging him tightly.

            "Derek…why did you…?"

            "Because you came this far just for me…for that…for that I'm not letting you go! I'm never going to let you go!"

            "We're…going to die…you know…"

            Derek shook his head, tears sparkling in the air around his eyes. "I don't care."

            Another bright flash happened, but the two didn't care this time. They were plummeting toward the ocean below…they knew their fate.

            "Derek…I do care," a voice said.

            Shadow.

            The black hedgehog grabbed Derek's shoulder with one hand, and held a Chaos Emerald in the other.

            "I do care…" he said.

            "Chaos Control!!!"


	9. Emerald Emulation

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 8: "Emerald Emulation"

By Bane Keldare

=====================================

"I am not here…

I think I've never been here at all…or ever will…

I feel like a place where no one goes anymore…

Why can't you see…that everything's broken?

And why can't you see, that my life's turned gray?

I can't believe in anything sacred,

When I don't believe that I am real…"

                        --Stabbing Westward, "Why"

=====================================

            _"Chaos Control!!!"_

            The words echoed in Derek's mind, as if he'd heard them before. As if he should know them by heart.

            All around him was light. There was nothing different, just pure, white light. It was so bright that it almost felt like the luminescence was screaming. 

            The ocean was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Angel Island. The last thing he remembered, he and Sonic were falling to their deaths. He remembered hugging Sonic, and then…

            Then there was Shadow.

            _Derek…I do care…_

            "That's what happened…Shadow, you…saved me…saved us…?"

            The light seemed to dim slightly, and Derek could make out the face of his friend. Shadow held Derek in one arm, and held Sonic by the wrist with his other. It was the first time Derek had seen him smile in a long time.

            "Derek…I'm sorry."

            Derek shook his head. "No…no, it's alright. You came back for me…you saved me. You don't have to apologize…"

            "Yes I do. Derek, this power…the power of the Chaos Emeralds…it's all controlling. It consumes…at times I'm in shock at how I sound, but I feel so powerless. I feel like I'm watching myself from the inside, unable to act, unable to change anything."

            "Shadow…I know how strong you are! You can fight it!"

            The hedgehog shook his head. "No…I can't. That's why I want you to leave me."

            "What?"

            "I don't want to hurt you, I have no idea what the Emeralds plan on doing, but they're going to do something to the planet…I don't want you caught up in that. You have to leave me…get away from me."

            "No…I'm going to help you! I want to know what they're doing to the planet!"

            The light washed over him again, and the three were on Angel Island once more. Sonic seemed to be completely inattentive, as if he wasn't seeing what Derek was seeing.

            "What's going on?"  
            Shadow crossed his arms. "We're still inside Chaos Control…it's the only place where I can talk to you in private around here…without the Emeralds interrupting."

            He pointed a gloved hand toward the west, past the Master Emerald's shrine. It was there that Derek noticed something he didn't see before.

            A city.

            "Where's that…?"

            "That is the city of light, as it was told to you. It's a city that exists in a separate space-time existence that Mobius does. Therefore, it does, and does not, exist. You must go there."

            Shadow outstretched a robed arm toward Knuckles.

            "He knows how to get there."

            "Knuckles?"

            "Yes. Now be prepared…Chaos Control's about to wear off."

            Derek backed off, and headed over to where Sonic stood. Standing next to him, he nodded.

            "Don't hold it longer than you have to."

            Shadow nodded, and blinked heavily, forcing his eyes closed and then open again. A strong sensation washed over Derek…the same as before, when he was injured…when he stopped his pain.

            "This force…did I do this earlier? Was it Chaos Control?"

            Time seemed to revert back to normal, and the city in the distance waned out of view. Derek shook his head as he realized what was going on. Knuckles and Bane were out cold…Sonic was weak, and Mecha was reaching over the edge for something.

            Derek walked up to the robot, fury blazing in his eyes. "You."

            Mecha turned around, showing a slight look of happiness that his prize had not been spoiled. "How did you…?"

            "Never mind," Derek said, in a voice completely unlike his own. He almost sounded like a different person now. "I want you to leave this island."

            Mecha shook his head. "Not without you, I need you."

            Derek growled. "Ever since you came here, Sonic almost died, and my friends, old and new, are on the ground in pain! You're going to leave, or you're going to be thrown off!"

            A slight tint of fear flashed in Mecha's crimson eyes. He didn't expect this from Derek…this dedication, this sincerity. He didn't expect this kind of courageous anger.

            He'd have to break this Overlander's sense of courage, if he wanted a suitable host.

            Mecha flared his hands out, his fingers sharpening into metallic claws. "You're coming with me, alive or dead…makes no difference to me."

            The robot dashed forward toward Derek, holding his right claw back, ready to strike. He scanned Derek for his probabilities, and then stopped about fifteen feet away, giving a confused look toward the Overlander.

            "What the hell…? There's no reading!"

            Derek cocked his head.

            "I don't believe this…you have _no_ probability to do _anything!_" Mecha said.

            Derek rubbed the back of his neck. "What the hell are you babbling about?"

            "I…scan all possible probabilities to know how to react…but you…have none? What does that mean?"

            Mecha raised one of his metallic eyebrows in an accusing glance.

            "What…_are_ you?"

            Derek didn't bother thinking of an answer. His anger was too great now. He charged, and delivered a blinding spin-kick right into Mecha's optics. The attack sent the robot flying back, spinning with the kick's momentum. Landing on his hands and knees, Mecha attacked back, slashing wildly with his clawed, metallic hands. Derek dodged easily…Mecha's swings weren't nearly as fast as Knuckles' were. 

            The infuriated robot decided to use his speed to his advantage then. He started running, as fast as Sonic could normally run, around Derek in circles. Derek didn't move, in fact, he just stood there like a statue, stoic in every way. Suddenly, he swept his foot out to the right, swinging as hard as he could. He knew what would happen, and it did.

            Mecha tripped.

            The robot flew through the air due to his speed and weight; fifteen, twenty, thirty feet, and still rising. Every now and then he bounced off the ground, spinning and thrashing wildly, and painfully. Finally, about sixty feet away, he stopped bouncing, and slid another fifteen feet. When he finally came to a stop, he just lay there, stunned. He didn't move, and he didn't want to move.

            Shadow crossed his arms and began to chuckle.

            "Derek…your power swallows everything up like a storm," he said. "He couldn't see what you were going to do, because you didn't allow him to."

            Derek cocked his head. "Shadow…what is this power? I don't understand."

            "From what I've seen, you don't have to understand…you're using it naturally. Born and raised with the power always around you…don't you see? Don't you see what flows around you?"

            "No, I don't! I don't see anything!"  
            Shadow's chuckle boomed into laughter. "Then there is something in there that will show you the path to enlightenment," he said, pointing at the shrine behind him, the shrine with the Master Emerald. 

            "…Shadow…"

            "No, Derek. Not this time. I'm going to heal this planet's wounds, and neither you, nor anyone else, will stand in my way," Shadow said, staring at the soft light the Chaos Emerald produced in his hand. He blinked out of sight for a moment, and then reappeared next to the fallen Mecha.

            "I'll take him with me, so he'll leave you alone," he said, grabbing the robot's left arm.

            "Shadow! Don't go!"

            "I have to. You know why. Now go, find out about yourself. Learn the truth."

            "Shadow!!"

            "Chaos Control!" Shadow shouted, and the two disappeared in a flash of light.

--------------------

            "Hey…Bane…?" Sonic asked, shaking his brother's shoulder.

            The black hedgehog inhaled deeply, and rubbed his eyes. "What…happened?" He asked, sitting up.

            "Mecha's…gone…Shadow, too," Sonic said, sitting on the ground, hard.

            "Are you alright, Sonic?"

            "Oh yeah," he said, rubbing his arm. "Nothing I haven't felt before…now I'm just exhausted," he winked, smirking.

            "Knuckles…hey, Knuckles!" Derek said, shaking the Echidna.

            Knuckles' eyes snapped open as he sat up, hurriedly. "Everyone okay?!" He asked, immediately.

            Derek nodded. "Yeah, we're all fine. You, me, Sonic, and Bane."

            "What about Shadow? And that damned robot?"

            "They're gone. Shadow left and took Mecha with him…to leave me alone."

            "Leave you alone?"

            Bane spoke up. "Yeah, that robot wanted to roboticize Derek in order to upload into his body."

            "What?!" Derek's eyes shot wide open.

            "Yeah…he said that if he did that, he could use that power of yours. But, well…he ain't here now, eh?"

            "Yeah, finally that tin can's away from me…I've had my fill of that guy for a long time," Sonic groaned.

            Everyone slowly stood, and looked around, trying to think of what to do next. Bane cricked his neck, while Knuckles stretched his arms. Sonic just leaned against a nearby tree.

            "Knuckles…what's in there?" Derek asked, pointing at the nearby shrine.

            "That's where the Master Emerald is. Why?"

            Derek looked toward the sky for a moment. "Shadow told me that in there, something would show me the path…and earlier I saw this huge city off in the distance."

            "You…saw what?" Knuckles inquired.

            "A city…Shadow said you knew how to get there."

            Knuckles turned his back. "I…I don't know what you're talking about!"

            Sonic and Bane both crossed their eyes, and gave Knuckles an accusing glance.

            "Uh huh…" Sonic said.

            Derek looked toward the shrine, and started heading for it.

            "Wait!" Knuckles said, turning back around and approaching Derek. "Where are you going?"

            "I…want to see the Emerald. I don't know why, but I just have this feeling…"

            Knuckles pointed. "Alright, just be careful…I don't want that power of yours doing crazy things and breakin' stuff."

            The Overlander gave a puzzled look. "Calm down…I won't do anything. I just want to see, that's all."

            Bane leaned into Sonic's ear. "What's his deal?"

            Sonic cupped his hand over Bane's ear. "He's supposed to protect that Emerald…takes his job a bit too seriously, if you ask me," he answered, as Bane nodded.

            The four strolled over to the shrine, and looked up at the marble steps that led up to the top. Derek nodded, and began climbing. The others followed suit.

            As Derek reached the top, he gasped at the sheer beauty of the shrine. The stones that made up the floor and walls seemed ancient, but it also seemed very fitting. It felt like this was _meant _to be an archaic place. And there, in the middle, floated the Master Emerald. Its green light sparkled, and reflected off of everything so lucidly, that even the ancient stones appeared to be as reflective as mirrors.

            "_Welcome to you, Derek. You who are me."_

            Derek's eyes widened. "Did…did you just…speak?"

            _"I did. I have always been able to speak…but not everybody has the ability to listen."_

            "I…I'm confused…I mean, where do I start? What did you mean, 'you who are me?'"

            _"It is the truth…which you will learn soon. You have a few more miles to go on your path toward your fate."_

            Derek looked back at his friends, then turned back toward the Emerald.

            "What…am I? What is this power I have?"

            _"You will learn soon."_

            "What is that screaming I hear at night?"

            _"It is a scream from the planet. Only a few are able to hear it nowadays. Every living creature can hear the planet's screams…but it becomes such a natural state that the screaming planet goes unheard by most inhabitants of this planet."_

            "What's causing the planet to scream? Is it wounded?"

            _"Yes…deeper than you know. The planet can handle a surface wound just fine…but when the planet's very essence…it's soul is wounded, then the planet cries out for help, like a sick child, alone in the darkness of space."_

            "So…I can only hear it because…I was in that stasis cell for most of my life…I was always either in there, or Julian's command center…which might've had soundproofing anyways."

            _"That is correct."_

            "So…where am I supposed to go? I want to know who, or what I am."

            _"The city of light," _

            Knuckles spoke up. "Hey! I'm not supposed to…"

            _"Knuckles…you've been my guardian for years…trust me. If anyone deserves to know about that city, it's these three."_

            The Echidna growled. "Oh…alright."

            _"Derek…within that city are those who have researched the history of Mobius ever since the great disaster. They know everything that happens on this planet…they know who and what you are. You must go to them. Ask them. You will find out the truth."_

            Derek nodded, and turned toward Knuckles.

            "Please…show me where the city is," he pleaded.

            Knuckles nodded. "I'll do it, but this city is a _huge_ secret! No mention of this outside of Angel Island, you hear me?"

            "Yeah…I understand."

            The Echidna turned toward Sonic and Bane, approaching them. "Are you guys going to be able to handle the trek? It's a good day's journey from here."

            Sonic nodded. "I won't be running anyways…Too freakin' tired."

            "I hear that," Bane nodded.

            "Then it's settled…we leave for the city of light," Derek said.

            "Actually…it has another name," Knuckles said.

            "What?"

            Knuckles smiled.

            "Echidnapolis."

**Mystic Ruins, May 29**

**1:00 PM**

**-----------------------------**

            "I don't see why you brought me here!" Mecha complained.

            He sat on the ground of an ancient structure…it appeared to be a temple of some sort. Hieroglyphs lined the walls, along with ancient murals, many of them pointing toward some kind of glowing gem.

            Mecha sat still, giving his systems time to repair themselves. After Derek tripped him, he took quite a beating. Surface scratches, internal circuitry breaks, system malfunctions…he was lucky his repair systems were functional at all.

            "I brought you here to get you away from Derek," Shadow answered.

            "Why?!" Mecha demanded.

            "Because I wanted you to leave Derek alone. He doesn't deserve to be hunted down like a prized animal."

            "Oh, please. I need him to become divine. Do you know what would happen if I uploaded into his roboticized body?"

            Shadow laughed heartily. "Do you even know what would happen if you tried to roboticize him?"

            "What are you talking about?"

            "Derek can alter his future…you've probably already seen it once. In Robotropolis, he was supposed to die, but he's still alive. The lasers were supposed to pierce his heart…but instead they arced upwards…reflected by something. Do you really think you'd be able to roboticize him?"

            "Oh, he will, if weakened enough."

            "Alright, say you _do_ manage to make him a robot. What then? What makes you think his power will remain in his cold, robotic, _lifeless_ shell? Think about it? What if his power is biological in nature? Did you stop to think about that?"

            Mecha shook his head. "N-no…that can't be right…"

            "You don't know that."

            "I…"

            "You're willing to take a risk on something you're not even sure of? Do you even know what Derek's powers _are?!_"

            Mecha shook his head again.

            "I didn't think so."

            The robot eyed Shadow curiously.

            "So…why are we here?"

            Shadow turned his hooded head toward Mecha, placing his hands in his coat's pockets.

            "There's a Chaos Emerald here, and I'm going to find it…that'll make six."

            And with that, Shadow turned, his long black coat flowing behind him.

**Angel Island, May 30,**

**12:54 PM**

**----------------------------**

            "I'm surprised…I didn't think there was enough land to cover a day's journey up here," Sonic said.

            "That's because last time, you and me were fighting on a smaller area of the island. This place is huge…a world unto itself, I was told once," Knuckles explained.

            "A world unto itself, eh? That explains why there'd be a city here," Bane nodded.

            "Yeah…we almost there, Knuckles?" Derek asked.

            "Yeah, yeah…we're just about at the spot, it's just past those trees there,"

            The four journeyed on for what felt like hours, even though the trees were just minutes away. Everyone was finally starting to feel better after yesterday's conflicts. Sonic's sedations were finally worn off, Bane and Knuckles didn't have a ringing in their heads. Derek was about the only person who made it out of that day without any injury.

            No, there was one other.

            Shadow.

            Derek broke into a run, racing to get up to those trees to see the city on the other side. When he arrived, there was nothing there but a small pile of marble ruins.

            "Here we are," Knuckles said, after catching up.

            "There's…nothing here," Sonic noted. "Either that, or this is the tiniest city I've ever seen," he joked, pointing at the small ruins.

            "Oh, it's here. You just have to know…" Knuckles began, walking between two of the ancient columns. Holding his hand in the air, it appeared as if it were resting on something. The air rippled around his glove like water, and spread outward…farther and farther, until nobody could even see the ripples anymore. Finally finding what he was looking for, he pressed appeared to be pressing a couple of buttons.

            The air crackled with electricity, as more ripples appeared in the air, shaped like a very large dome. Soon, a very large city seemed to blink into view, much like a television turning on.

            "…How to knock," he finished.

            Everybody stared in awe at the city. Even though they were standing outside of a huge wall, they could see skyscrapers jutting out from behind it, stretching their architectural arms to the sky. From what they could see, not only was it a huge city, but also it rivaled Robotropolis in technology.

            Pressing a few more buttons on a small console, a large door opened in the wall.

            "This is Echidnapolis," Knuckles said, gesturing for them to head inside.

            The four headed inside, and Sonic whistled.

            "Never would've guessed something this big up here on the Island," he said.

            The entered a long, dark hallway within the city wall. The entire area was made up of either steel, plastic, or a hybrid of the two, and it was a rather quiet hall. Reaching the other door at the end, Knuckles pressed the same sequence, and it opened, giving them all access to the city.

            Two guards outside appeared in the doorway. "Who's there?"

            Knuckles nodded. "It's me."

            "Guardian! You honor us with your presence!"

            Knuckles rolled his eyes. "…Thanks. I need to see Athair."

            The guards nodded and gestured Knuckles in. "Of course, head on over, we'll let 'em know you're coming."

            Everybody filed outside, but Derek couldn't help noticing the guards giving him strange looks. Did they know him? Was there something wrong? One of the guards picked up a radio and whispered into it. "The guardian's here...but…_he's_ here too…"

            Thinking nothing of it, Derek continued to look around the city. Hover cars were traveling everywhere, up and down the streets, and a massive amount of Echidnas were just strolling along the sidewalks.

            "Man…so many Echidnas! No wonder we thought they were extinct," Sonic remarked.

            "Yeah…took me by surprise when I found out," Knuckles said.

            "You didn't know?" Bane asked.

            "Well…not until about a year ago…that was a pretty crazy time. In fact…I haven't been here for about that long, actually."

            "Guarding the Emerald, eh?" Sonic asked.

            "Of course. Just because I'm a celebrity here doesn't mean I'm not going to stop doing my job."

            Sonic nodded. "…Guess you're right."

            "So…where does this place exist, anyways?" Derek asked.

            Knuckles turned around, still walking. "It exists in a different space-time existence than we do…sort of. It…um…blinks in and out from time to time. If I had any way to describe it, it halfway exists in our Mobius, and halfway in another…to where we can interact with the city, like entering. But…well…it doesn't show up on any normal scans or anything."

            "Incredible," Derek said.

            A large van pulled in front of them and set down on the ground, the hover engines hissing as they blew out a large amount of steam. The door opened, and a brown furred Echidna stepped out, wearing a hat and a vest, adorned with a gold star.

            "Constable Remington," Knuckles nodded.

            The brown Echidna tilted his hat. "Guardian Knuckles…your presence honors us greatly. Why have you returned?"

            Knuckles waved his hand over toward Derek. "We're looking for the truth…of who or what _he_ is."

            Remington looked at Derek for a moment, cocking his head. "Wait a minute…" he said, pulling out a small computer. Holding it in front of Derek's face, a small red beam scanned up and down, displaying the image on the computer. Pressing a few more buttons, Remington's eyes widened greatly.

            "Shyfter?"

            "What? How did you…?" Derek asked.

            "_Derek_ Shyfter?!"

            "Y-yeah…that's my name. How did you know my name?"

            Remington looked toward the others. "Sonic the Hedgehog, right?"

            "Bingo," Sonic nodded.

            "And you are…?" he asked the black hedgehog.

            "Bane," he responded.

            "Alright. Guardian Knuckles, why you brought these others is beyond me, but bringing Derek here…why?"

            "I told you. We want to know who or what he is," Knuckles folded his arms.

            "I…urgh. Hold on," Remington said. He whispered something into the earpiece he was wearing, then turned back towards Derek. "You…you need to come with me."

            "What? No way! We're going with him!" Sonic ordered.

            "No…he needs to come alone, just for a little while. I heard you wanted to see Athair, right? Go on ahead, he knows you're coming. I need to take Derek downtown."

            Derek nodded. "All right."

            "Derek!" Sonic pleaded.

            Derek turned back toward the blue hedgehog and smiled. "I'll be okay…I don't think they'll do anything to hurt me…besides, I'll be able to make my way out if I need to," he winked.

            Sonic only growled at Remington.

            "Go on, Athair's waiting," Remington said.

            The Echidna led Derek into the van, and filed in right behind him.

            "Don't worry," Derek said, as the door hissed shut.

=======================================

"A cloned force, mass produced,

Simulate, introduce…

Delinquent rank and file,

Encoded, stamped and styled.

Ill-affected progeny!

Tasteless iconography!

Ill-affected progeny!

Tasteless iconography!"

                        --Fear Factory, "Corporate Cloning"

=======================================

**Echidnapolis, Lab 4-D,**

**May 30, 2:35 PM**

**-------------------------------**

            Derek's right arm felt like a pincushion right about now.

            For about an hour, blood test after blood test was taken…and Derek was beginning to worry if he'd have any blood left to operate his brain.

            "Um…what's with all the tests?" He asked one of the scientists.

            The scientist shrugged. "Sorry…just doing my job. The administrator told me to."

            "But…what's he trying to determine?"

            The scientist dropped a small drop of Derek's blood into a test tube with a strange blue liquid in it, and held it up to the light. "Hard to say…could be anything really. Maybe all he really wants is a DNA test."

            A door in the back of the lab opened, and an Echidna with red fur stepped out. He had white facial hair, but other than that, he was almost the spitting image of Knuckles.

            "Are you the administrator?" Derek asked.

            The man nodded. "I am. My name is Locke."

            "Alright…so what's with all the blood work?"

            "Well, I'm trying to determine if you are who we _think_ you are."

            Derek nodded. "Well, good…'cause I'm not sure myself. All I know is my name."

            "Yes, Derek…you and I both. But…I'm pretty sure you are who we expected you to be…all this time…and we thought you were dead."

            "What's that supposed to mean?"

            Locke smiled. "Sorry, I'll tell you all about it after you get those holes in your arm patched up. My assistant will lead you to my room shortly."

            "Yes, sir," The scientist nodded, as Locke left the room.

            The assistant opened a small medical pack, and proceeded to apply bandages to Derek's arm. Derek winced as the coarse fabric rubbed against the wounds. After they were done, Derek rolled his sleeve back down, and hopped off the table.

            "This way, please," The scientist gestured, leading Derek out of the room.

---------------------------------

            "This is his room, the administrator will be in shortly," the scientist opened the door. Inside was a small conference room, with about ten chairs total. Three of them were occupied.

            "Sonic? Bane? Knuckles?" Derek asked the three in turn.

            "Derek! You okay?" Sonic asked.

            "Yeah…arm's a bit sore but…yeah, I'm okay. They took some blood tests…well, okay…they took a _lot_ of blood tests."

            Sitting down next to Sonic, Derek sighed heavily. "I'm pretty nervous."

            Sonic put his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Hey…it's not anything bad…we're just going to get some answers, that's all."

            Bane and Knuckles remained silent.

            The door clicked open, and in walked the Locke.

            "Hello, everyone,"

            "…Father," Knuckles nodded.

            "Hello, son," Locke nodded back. "Here to learn, are you?"

            Knuckles nodded.

            Locke sat in the chair at the end of the table, with many papers spread in front of him. "Where am I going to begin…well, I suppose I should start by telling you how we know all of this."

            Everyone stayed quiet.

            "We Echidnas, long ago, sealed ourselves in this half-existence because we wanted to hide ourselves. We wanted to make sure that what we did wouldn't harm the planet…as we once almost did. Long ago, a calamity was going to strike the planet…namely our island, which was much larger then. A meteor was headed straight for us, with cataclysmic consequences."

            "But we didn't want that to happen…so we gathered all the Chaos Emeralds we could, which back then numbed about twelve. We harnessed their energies, along with the Master Emeralds, to get our island out of the way. It was an easy task with the Emeralds, but we discovered another problem…the meteor was still headed for the ocean, and the resulting tidal wave would have been disastrous. So we used the Emeralds one more time, to destroy the meteor. In the process, five of them shattered."

            "We discovered then that our scientific knowledge was dangerous…so we released the Emeralds, and sealed ourselves up here. But, we still wanted to know what went on in the Mobius we knew, so we sent out many, many, _many_ nano-cameras."

            "Nano-cameras?" Sonic asked, scratching his head.

            "Yes. Cameras that are no bigger than a grain of sand, linked to a wireless network. We used those to watch what happened in the outside world. This began about five hundred years ago."

            "After the longest time…our attention was caught on one man. Professor Gerald Robotnik."

            "Robotnik?!" Sonic glared.

            "Yes…Gerald was Robotnik's grandfather. He had another granddaughter, Maria, who had an incurable disease at the time."

            "Maria?" Derek asked. "I knew…a Maria once…"

            Locke continued.

            "Gerald was a brilliant man. An Overlander, Gerald moved to Mobotropolis to escape from the enmity that emanated from the Overlander's warlike nature. Taking his granddaughter with him, he set up a lab in Mobotropolis. By the Acorn Royal Family's request, he began research on the possibility of immortality, which he felt could apply to Maria, hoping to cure the girl of her disease. His studies led him through the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, and eventually his research turned to a more unaccepted field of science. Chaos physics."

            Everybody's eyes widened.

            "His studies of the Chaos Emeralds were astounding, but they weren't exactly what he was looking for. Then…he learned of the power inside the Chaos Emeralds. It was, as they were aptly named, chaos. Chaos was the power that existed within the Emeralds."

            Derek scratched his head. "I don't get it…"

            "We didn't either, at first. It made sense after we did our own studies. You see, chaos isn't just a word…it's a force. It isn't a type of energy, it's not a source of power, it's an existent force on this planet like gravity. It's always been there…but the Emeralds have an enormous amount of chaos contained inside. It was then that Gerald had a breakthrough."

            "Chaos is the breakdown of everything in existence. It's the downward spiral, it's the destruction of probability as we know it. Gerald thought that if he could control chaos, he could use chaos to alter Maria's probability of dying…alter her probability of even having the disease in the first place. But, he couldn't do it alone…so he created, what he called, the 'Ultimate Life Form.'"

            Derek nodded. "Shadow…that's Shadow."

            Locke nodded also. "Yes. Shadow was created with the ability to access the Chaos Emeralds' power. But Shadow wasn't able to do much of anything for Maria with the Emeralds' power…they were all quite destructive in nature. There were no ways for a healing process to begin with them…they were there for destroying, and that was it. So Gerald turned to one more energy signature…the one that was said to be able to undo what the Chaos Emeralds did. The Master Emerald."

            Knuckles sat up straighter.

            "However…there was a snag in that idea as well. There were no species on this planet that could handle the energy signature of the Master Emerald. We're all evolved forms of creatures that existed long ago. Hedgehogs, dogs, cats, birds, etc. We all evolved from them. The Overlanders, despite what they'd like to believe, are not human. They're evolved from the primate family…the ones that didn't evolve."

            "So…what did Gerald need?" Derek asked.

            Locke eyed Derek and smiled. "He needed a human being…so he went against the ethics of most people on this planet, and cloned one from ancient DNA. Then, with gene-therapy, he managed to duplicate the energy signature of the Master Emerald within that human. After announcing it, he went back into his lab to study the properties of both that human, and Shadow…while they played outside with Maria."

            "Wait…wait…while they played outside?" Derek asked.

            _C'mon Shadow! Play with us!_

            "No…I'm…I'm…?"

            Locke was waiting for it.

            "I'm…human?"

            "Yes," Locke nodded. "You're human…you're the only one, too."

            A deep, sinking feeling fell into Derek's chest then, as if someone were sitting on it. Slowly that feeling fell into his stomach, and he began to feel tingly all over. 

            "And you've got the same energy signature as the Master Emerald…you are, for all effects and purposes, a living, breathing copy of the Master Emerald."

            Derek's soul sank even deeper.

            Locke cleared his throat and continued. "After about five years, he decided to move his research to the Space Colony ARK, which he helped build long before. He took the three with him, and within a week of his experiments, the colony was attacked. The Overlanders didn't take kindly to Gerald's research…they were under the impression that he was creating some kind of weapons out of Derek and Shadow."

            "And…in the attack…Maria shoved me into a stasis cell, and ejected me out of the colony…" Derek said.

            Everyone turned their heads.

            "I…I remember it, slightly. There were alarms going off, and Shadow and Maria were leading me to some kind of stasis cell…and they put me inside it. Then, Maria pushed Shadow into an escape pod, and pushed the button, ejecting both of us. But before I left…I saw it…I saw Maria get shot…I…I felt so powerless…I…"

            Locke nodded. "Yes…Maria died when the military attacked, and Gerald was imprisoned. The Overlanders' warlike nature had struck again, out of fear.

            Derek began to cry then, burying his head in his arms, resting on the table. Sonic patted Derek on the shoulder, but it didn't help much. "Maria…I remember you now…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

            Locke stopped talking for a moment, giving Derek some time to cry. It was an emotional thing for all of them…learning what he was. It truly was a traumatic story, if anything.

            "Derek…" Locke asked.

            The human looked up and sniffled. "Y-yes…?"

            "There's one other thing I need to tell you…this incident happened over sixty years ago."

            The tears stopped almost immediately, replaced with absolute surprise. "What?"

            "Robotnik kept you in a stasis cell, correct? Well, that cell was meant to preserve your cells, keeping you young. In cellular aging, you're only about 17 years old, but in the span of time, you're about sixty. It's just something I figured you should know."

            "I…I can't believe it…I…"

            Locke slowly stood from the table, and nodded. "I'm sorry to dump this all upon you…I really am. I think we'll go over more tomorrow…you need some time to think things out, get a break from all this drama," he said. "I'll put you up in one of the hotels around here, and we'll come back tomorrow afternoon, sound good.?"

            Everyone nodded, Derek more solemnly than the others.

**Echidnapolis, Crescent Inn,**

**May 30, 11:45 PM**

**-------------------------------------**

            Derek and Sonic, bunked up in the same room, just sat out on the balcony, looking up at the sky.

            "Do…do you think this is Mobius' sky? Or someone else's?" Derek asked.

            "Hard to say, but were under it now, I guess," Sonic said.

            It was very difficult for them to forget what they'd learned that day. It was all so sudden, almost too sudden. So much information in the span of an hour or so…it was a good idea for them to take a break. It was almost too much for Derek to bear. Learning he was human…that he had the same energy signature as the Master Emerald…that he _was_ a copy of the Master Emerald. The two found themselves avoiding talking about it altogether, for fear of something emotionally snapping.

            But Sonic just couldn't do it anymore, and placed a hand on Derek's shoulder.

            "Derek…are you okay? With all of this?"

            Derek closed his eyes, a tear rolling down his face. "I…I'll be alright…it's just that it's all so much to bear. When we live, we just know what we are, you know you're a hedgehog with super speed. If you want to know how I feel right now, pretend like you never knew about your speed, or even your species. Imagine yourself finding out about it all, in one day…that's how I feel right now."

            Sonic tried, hard as he could, but it was just something he couldn't imagine himself. He's always known about his speed…hell, he bragged about it many times. And the constant nights of super-sonic thinking…he couldn't help but know what he was.

            Standing up, Sonic squeezed Derek's shoulder. "We should get to bed," he suggested.

            Derek stood up. "Sonic?"

            The hedgehog turned around.

            "I…I think I'm going to need some more of those sleeping pills," he said.

            Sonic nodded.

            "Me too, Derek. Me, too…"


	10. Thou Art At A Crossroads

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 9: "_Thou Art At A Crossroads…_"

By Bane Keldare

======================================

"The cities grow, the rivers flow,

Where you are I never know,

But I'm…still here…

If you were right, and I was wrong,

Why are you the one who's gone,

And I'm…still here…?"

                        --Vertical Horizon, "I'm Still Here"

======================================

            "Now I know," Knuckles muttered to himself, hands resting on the balcony's railing.

            "Now I know why I was drawn to you, Derek. Now I know…you're not natural, you're alone. You're a solitary being on this planet…like me. But now I know why we're drawn to each other. The Master Emerald had something in its voice that always seemed to call out to me…but now I hear it in your voice, too. I see its emerald sheen in your eyes."

            "Knuckles," Bane yawned, "who are ya talking to?"

            The Echidna's eyes shot wide in realization. "Nobody…just myself, that's all."

            "I heard what you were talking about. You and Derek…got along pretty well, huh?"

            Knuckles turned around and crossed his arms. "You could say that. We sparred, that's all."

            Bane pointed at his katana. "Yeah, I sparred with him too…kid's almost too damn fast for me."

            "Heh…I'd love to go a round with you sometime then," Knuckles gave an evil smirk.

            "Ah, you're a fan of fighting, then?"

            "Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. But I enjoy the company of those who've actually trained to fight…Sonic's not a great fighter. Sure, he's got speed, but that's about all he does, he runs."

            Bane nodded. "He runs for the right reasons…that's why I respect him. He fights in his own ways. In fact, the only reason Mecha caught us was because he caught me, and forced Sonic to stop. Then, he knocked my brother out cold, and sedated him heavily. If it weren't for that, we would've come here by foot instead."

            "Heh, well…it's good to meet you, despite the odd circumstances."

            "Yeah, sorry we're interrupting your Guardian duties," Bane rubbed the back of his neck.

            Knuckles shook his head. "If you heard what I said before, you'd know it's no problem. Derek's…he's…something else, huh?"

            "Oh yeah, something else indeed," Bane nodded.

-------------------------

            Derek sat on the edge of the bed, holding his katars in his hand.

            "You know, Sonic…ever since I came out of Robotropolis, I've barely used these seriously," Derek said, turning the blades over in his hands.

            Sonic yawned. "Well…haven't really needed to, huh? We've been away from that damn city for quite awhile."

            "Yeah, but…well…I trained how to use them for so long…seems kinda pointless now, huh? I mean…if there's nothing to fight."

            Sonic chuckled. "Something wrong with that?"

            Derek smiled. "I guess not."

            The hedgehog yawned again. "Sorry…I'd go into some kinda deep, philosophical thing, but I just don't like that kinda stuff, you know?"

            The human laughed. "I know…it's all seemed too dramatic the past few days. Whatever happened to just being alive, huh?"

            Sonic chuckled and shook his head. "Never was one for drama. Sally gives me enough of that crap back in Knothole."

            A sudden knock on the door interrupted the humorous conversation. "Sonic!" Bane's voice called from the outside. "You in there?"

            "Yeah! C'mon in!" Sonic called.

            The door creaked open as Bane and Knuckles entered. "Hey, we got a call from the front desk," Knuckles thumbed toward the door. "My father's ready to go over some more stuff, I guess."

            Sonic nodded. "Good. Ready, Derek?"

            Derek's cheery mood automatically darkened. "I…I guess so."

            "Hey, it's not like it's going to be anything worse than what we heard already," Sonic placed his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Besides, we're all gonna be there, that much is certain."

            Derek nodded and looked at everybody.

            "Thanks," he said.

Echidnapolis, Lab 4-D 

**May 31, 11:30 AM**

**------------------------------**

            Locke was already in his seat when the others entered the room.

            "Ah, you're here, good," he nodded. "Have a seat."

            The four did as they were told, and Locke fixed his gaze on Derek.

            "…You okay?"

            Derek nodded. "Yeah…yeah I'm…just wrapping my head around it all."

            "I understand. It's a lot to take in…and there's a bit more, actually."

            "Well, go ahead then, Father," Knuckles pushed.

            Locke cleared his throat.

            "Well, yesterday, I told you how Derek was a human, and he's a copy of the Master Emerald. Well, around here, he was nicknamed the Emerald Emulator, for that exact reason. Derek has within him the power to undo what the seven remaining Chaos Emeralds can do…just like the Master Emerald. The questions this brings up, however, is the differences between the two. Derek is a living, breathing human, with the Master Emerald's abilities. What does this mean? He has a spirit, a soul, for one. What would that do? He also has genetic material, as all living creatures do? What if he has children? Will his offspring be just like him? Or will they only be half as powerful? Will the Emerald's effects on his genes grant him immortality like Shadow has?"

            "Well, we conducted our own research, and we discovered something in genetics. There's a very specific gene that allows one to use the powers of the Chaos Emeralds, that very few people have. We call this gene the Chaos Synthesis gene…and everyone in this room, except me, has that gene right now. The Chaos Synthesis gene has profound, and almost supernatural effects on the genetics of the individual…and each outcome is random."

            Everyone's eyes widened at the concept.

            "You, Sonic," Locke pointed, "you've always had super speed because of this gene. This gene affected the strength in your legs, causing them to develop very acutely. Because of this, you have phenomenal speed, and your jumps far surpass most others, am I right?"

            "Yeah…I can jump pretty far, too," Sonic nodded.

            "Derek, we've already talked about. Knuckles, you were selected to guard the Master Emerald _because_ of this gene. In you, the gene affected your arms, giving you superb, almost supernatural strength. This was what caused us to choose you for your role as Guardian."

            Knuckles nodded silently.

            "You, Bane…are the great mystery in all of this," Locke aimed his eyes at the hedgehog.

            "…Me?"

            "Yes. You see, you're Sonic's brother, true. But there's something about yourself that you didn't know."

            Everyone waited in silence, until Bane spoke up. "…Yeah?" He asked, annoyed.

            "Roll up your sleeves, please," Locke asked.

            Bane took off his coat, and rolled up the sleeves of his sweater, revealing black fur with red stripes.

            "As I thought," he said, blinking on a monitor with Shadow's specs on it. "Here, I want you to read…this," he said, pointing at a small chart in the bottom corner.

            Bane stood up and squinted at the tiny writing. "Lessee…fur color…Red, 2.0004%, Blue 2.0005%, Green 2.0003%. Fur stripes…Red 50.4095%…Blue…0%, Green…0%"

            "Now, read this one," Locke said, pulling up the specs of Bane.

            "Red, 2.0004…blue, 2.0005…green, 2.0003. Fur stripes…50.40…95?" Bane ended in inquiry. "What the hell…?"

            "The colors match identically. I don't think I need to tell you that fur color is a genetic trait, and everyone's fur color differs by at least 0.1 percent. The fact that your fur colors are a perfect match struck a chord with me…so I did some more research."

            Bane's interest was piqued now. "What did you find?"

            "You're rather eager…why?" Sonic asked.

            Bane looked down for a moment. "I'd…always been marked as different from you…people considered it a vice. But…there are things about myself that I don't even know."

            Locke cleared his throat loudly to draw attention. "Well, what I found out was that you, Bane…were going to die in childbirth. You and Sonic were twins…but something went wrong, I couldn't find out what, but you were slated to die. The king didn't particularly enjoy this, since your mother and father were dear friends of his, so he searched far and wide for something to cure it."

            "Well, a young science officer named Julian stepped forward and mentioned his grandfather's work…that it would be the only way to save the child."

            "What…what are you saying?" Bane asked, worried.

            "Julian's grandfather, Gerald, kept the database, and clones of Shadow's DNA locked away. Julian found them, and suggested to use them to save…you. It was very early in the pregnancy…perhaps a month at most, when the surgery was performed. Shadow's DNA, was injected into yours…giving you what you needed to keep you alive until you were born."

            "So…what am I?"

            "You're Sonic's brother, his twin…but you're more like Shadow, than Sonic at this point."

            Sonic leaned forward on the table. "I thought you said you dyed your fur so that you wouldn't look like me."

            "I…did…didn't I?" Bane looked back at Locke.

            "If you did, why hasn't the dye run out yet?" Locke asked.

            "I had it permanently changed with nano-technology a long time ago."

            "You…did? What kind of hack told you that? The only kind of nano-technology that exists like that is here in Echidnapolis."

            "So this…this is my real fur color, huh?" Bane looked at his arms.

            "Guess so," Sonic nodded. "Hey, looks cool, right?"

            Bane shrugged slightly. "I guess. My quills still have your shape, Sonic…so that at least sets me apart from him."

            Knuckles shook his head and chuckled.

            "What's so funny?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

            "Derek's old friends with him, and Bane's a clone of him. No matter where we are, it all leads back to Shadow in some way."

            The human finally decided to speak up. "Um…Locke, sir…I have a question."

            "Yes?"

            "Shadow…he kept telling me he was going to heal the planet. Do you…have any idea what he meant?"

            Locke's face darkened.

            "That kind of…science…is frowned upon in most circles."

            "Huh?"

            "It's…an odd ideology. There were many scientists who developed theories that the planet itself was alive…and that we were parasitic hosts on a living being. It sounded so outlandish that the science was never funded officially by any government."

            "But…what if it's true? If it's true, then that means that nobody wants to admit that we're parasites!" Derek's voice rose.

            "Of course. How would you feel, knowing that on a planetary scale, we're not ants, we're ticks…fleas…_leeches…_"

            "But…the planet's screaming. That much I do know," Derek said, nodding. "If it's been theorized, then I want to be the first to say that it's true. The planet's alive, and it's hurt."

            Locke smirked. "We Echidnas have believed so as well. We know what the injury is, and what caused it. In fact, we've been tracking it to watch its progress."

            He clacked a few keys on the keyboard in front of him. The monitor, previously showing Bane, shifted to an image showing a strange vortex of reds and yellows.

            "That, is the planet's injury…caused by Robotnik back when he began an experiment…long ago…"

            Sonic's eyes widened. "That's…that's…"

            "You know something about this, Sonic?" Locke asked.

            "Yeah…I've been _in_ there before!"

            "You've been to the Great Unknown?" Locke appeared shocked.

            "That thing…it's…" Sonic drifted off.

            "Sonic! Sonic, what is that?" Derek waved his hand in front of the dazed hedgehog's face.

            "…The Void…"

**Mobius, Unknown Location,**

**May 31, 11:45 AM**

**--------------------------------------**

            "I have it…the last one," Shadow said, holding a white gem in his hand.

            Mecha sneered. "And just what are you going to do with those? Destroy the world?"

            Shadow gave an evil grin. "Oh no…I'm going to heal the planet. The power these Chaos Emeralds contain shall be more than enough…"

            The cloaked hedgehog felt heaviness in his chest then. Placing the Emerald in his pocket, he clutched at his chest and doubled over, almost in pain. His breathing became shallow and raspy…and sweat began to drip into the dirt below.

            "Problems?" Mecha asked.

            "I…I'm…losing…Derek…I've gotta tell…Derek…!"

            Fishing out the Emerald again, he could feel something pulling him into it…he didn't want it to happen, but…no. He had to do it. He had to tell Derek. He had to see his friend one last time.

            "Chaos…"

            "Shadow! Where are you going? You can't leave me here!"

            Shadow smirked at the bothersome robot…

            "…Control!"

            …And Metal Sonic was all alone.

Echidnapolis, Lab 4-D 

**May 31, 11:44 AM**

**------------------------------**

            "The Void? What's that?" Derek asked.

            "It's…some place that's totally off the deep end. Up is down, right is left, right is wrong…and there's people trapped in there, too," Sonic said, face falling even deeper.

            "It's a space-time anomaly, to put it minimally," Locke explained. "Robotnik learned about the Void and began to experiment with it a long time ago…even when he was with Mobotropolis. It's been believed that the Void is the planet's wound…and when Robotnik picked and prodded at the wound…well…it grew. It grew over the Great Unknown to the form we see today."

            "But…what _is_ it…?" Bane asked.

            "That is unknown…but there is a theory. The theory's been shot down so many times, however, due to the theological ties it has."

            Derek's eyes widened, and he cleared his throat.

            "Before, there was nothing. There was absolutely nothing. No life, no light, no earth, no sky, there was nothing…until God came and brought order to the chaos…" Derek recited. "…That right?"

            Locke chuckled. "You're quite well read. Yes, that's the theory…that The Void is what existed…before. Before the big bang, before matter actually came into existence."

            Knuckles gave a dour look.

            "If…Robotnik's meddling caused the Void to grow…what would happen if Shadow does what he's planning?! Healing the planet?!"

            Locke's face shot a look of panic.

            "The Void…it'd grow! It'd grow at a phenomenal rate!"

            Sonic slammed his fist into his palm. "Then that's settled…we've gotta stop him! We have to find him before it's too late!"

            "But we can't track Shadow! The Chaos Control power he can use throws off all signals," Locke shook his head.

            "We can't just stay here! We gotta try!"

            While the two were arguing, Derek felt as if something were pulling him outside the world he was in. It felt like he was going back to his Mobius…and everything around was a blur. Without a notion, he stood up, and headed out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

            The hallway was bright, blurry white to him, but he managed to find his way to a stairwell. Ascending, the steps even felt intangible; it felt like he was walking on grass rather than hard stairs. Finally reaching the top, he could barely make out the words "Roof access" on the door, and opened it.

            The lab was about eight stories high, and the traffic below didn't make any of its normal sounds. Derek's perception was being altered, that much he knew now. But what was causing it…?

            Approaching the edge, he could see a large bubble in the air…a distortion of some kind.

            "Derek!" Sonic's voice called.

            The human didn't turn around; he just focused on the distortion. A blinding flash occurred, and there, floating in mid-air, was Derek's childhood friend.

            "Shadow…" Derek said, sadly.

            "Derek…I'm here to warn you. I've found all seven of the Chaos Emeralds. You know what that means, right?"

            The human nodded. "You're…going to heal the planet, right?"

            "Yes."

            "But…if you try to do that, The Void will grow! You'll only make the wound greater! You'll swallow the entire planet of Mobius into void space!"

            "I know that. I'm…no longer in control. I'm losing, Derek. I'm losing myself, I'm losing my body."

            The Chaos Emeralds began to flow from Shadow's coat and orbit around him. Derek could feel their energies flowing into the hedgehog…it was no wonder he was floating like that.

            Shadow clenched his fists then. The energies were rising sharply in power…even Sonic could feel them. They made him feel warm…and yet so very cold at the same time. The sheen of the Emeralds no longer appeared as their own colors, but rather a pure aura of gold that embalmed the air around Shadow. Spreading his arms, he let the coat fall onto the ground.

            His fur color was now a golden white.

            "Shadow? Shadow?!!" Derek called.

            "Derek…please…you have to stop me…"Shadow pleaded.

            "Shadow…why can't you…stop yourself…?"

            Shadow didn't respond. In the calmest of voices, he just nodded.

            "Chaos Control," he said, disappearing once again.

            "Shadow…" Derek blubbered, collapsing to his knees, sobbing.

            "I…can't…I just want…to be with you again…why…Shadow, why?!!"

            A gentle, gloved hand rested on Derek's shoulder, and in reaction, Derek just turned and hugged the blue hedgehog behind him, crying into his shoulder.

            "Sonic…he's…he's…"

            Sonic ran his gloved fingers through Derek's hair. "I know…I know. Hey…it's gonna be alright…we'll…we'll stop him, you and me."

            Locke turned toward Bane and Knuckles.

            "We'll let you take one of our craft to the Great Unknown…once Derek is ready, that is."

            Knuckles nodded. "Thanks, Father."

**Mobius, Unknown Location,**

**May 31, 2:30 PM**

**-------------------------------------**

            "Derek…you okay?" Sonic asked, looking in the back seat of the craft.

            The human's solemn face let him know the answer to that. "I'm…I'm all right, I guess…" he said, trying to seem cheerful.

            "Look, if anyone's going to be able to break through to Shadow, it's going to be you. We're counting on you, and what you and Shadow have, to see us through this."

            "Thanks, Sonic. I always had Shadow there when I was a kid…and now…now I've got you. I think that that…is something pretty grand in itself."

            Sonic smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Hey, you're alright, kid. Things just got more interesting with you around."

            "We're getting close to the Great Unknown…we'll be there in about fifteen minutes," Bane said, watching the radar.

            "It's getting close to show time," Derek said.

            "Yep. You'll do just fine, Derek."

            Derek watched the sky fly past them as they approached their destination.

            "I'll do fine…" Derek told himself.

=====================================

"The lights go out, The bridge is burned,

Once you're gone, you can't return,

But I'm…still here…

Remember how you used to say

I'd be the one to run away,

But I'm…still here…"

                        --Vertical Horizon, "I'm Still Here"

=====================================


	11. Thy Existence

"Shyfted Existence"

Chapter 10: "_…Thy Existence…_"

By Bane Keldare

=======================================

"It's in your mind,

It's in your eyes,

So it's goodbye again…

It's way past time,

For one last try,

So it's goodbye again…"

                        --Vertical Horizon, "Goodbye Again"

=======================================

**The Great Unknown,**

**May 31, 3:00 PM**

**----------------------------**

            The ship bounced as it landed on the rocky terrain below. Everyone jumped a bit, but it wasn't too serious.

            "Sorry…" Bane said, shrugging. "Not used to flying one of these."

            After disengaging the ships controls, the side hatches hissed open. "Everyone out," Sonic commanded.

            Knuckles and Bane hopped out right away. Sonic followed suit, and Derek slowly made his way outside.

            The Great Unknown was very vast, and quite empty. Any and all life seemed to just drop away from everyone's field of vision. Trees, grass, animals…all were vacant in the presence of the foreboding, gray crags that seemed to dominate everything. It was like Robotropolis, if it didn't have any technology, come to think of it.

            "This place…it's cold…" Derek clutched at his arms.

            "Yeah…I know,' Sonic agreed. "I never did like this place."

            The wind whistled through the valleys between the crags, further amplifying the feelings of unease that swept through the party as they marched on, trying to find some sign of Shadow…or the Void. It wouldn't be hard to miss, considering the Void was bright red…and Shadow would be showing a golden aura by now.

            But there was still nothing.

            The four wandered around for a moment, when Derek felt heaviness in the side of his head. Clutching the it in his hand, he turned toward the direction it was coming from, the weight shifting to the front of his head as he did so.

            "There," he pointed.

            Where Derek pointed was the strangest looking place of all. It seemed as if the cliff-tops all pointed to a large chasm, encircling it, as if to lead lost souls there.

            _This is the world in its true form…_ A voice echoed.

            The four whirled around, Bane drawing his blade, as they looked for the source of the voice. It sounded so calm…it was chilling.

            Derek knew it was Shadow.

            _Nothing…lifeless…yes, this is the world's true form,_ Shadow said, materializing in front of the four, floating over the chasm. His golden aura was still emanating from him, and the Chaos Emeralds orbited him slowly.

            "Shadow!" Derek said.

            "Shadow?" The hedgehog asked. "Yes…I was called that once…long ago…"

            "No! You're still Shadow! No matter what you say, you're still the Shadow that I know!"

            Shadow burst out in booming laughter. "The Shadow that you know? How do you know that he was the true Shadow? How do you know that I'm _not_ Shadow?!"

            "I…I just…" Derek's insecurity left him trailing off.

            "The truth isn't always pleasant, Derek. You of all people should know that, considering what you've recently learned about yourself!"

            "Hey!" Sonic said.

            "Aww…the hedgehog comes to the human's rescue. What's the matter, Derek…I left, so you found yourself someone else to cling to?!"

            "N-no! I…"

            Shadow grinned. "Oh, I see…you want to cling to me again, is that it?"

            "No," Derek said, voice filled with finality. "I came here to stop you."

            "Stop me…from healing the planet?"

            "You're not going to heal the planet. You're going to destroy it! You're going to send it into the Void!"

            "Exactly."

            Everyone fell silent.

            "Think about it," Shadow explained. "If you kill a person who's wounded…is he wounded anymore? Is he wounded, or is he dead? There have been so many incidents of people killing others to relieve them of the pain and suffering they were going through. Why not do the same for our dying planet?"

            "But…we can fix the planet…we can find a way."

            "This is the only way, Derek! I'm the ultimate life form! How great would I be if I couldn't give my planet a chance to end its suffering! If I'm the ultimate life form, I should be able to do that!"

            "No! If you're the ultimate life form, you would have the reason and control to not give up on this planet! We're not done for! Mobius isn't dying! It's just wounded…and wounds heal with time! You have no right to step in and play God with the fate of billions hanging in the balance!"

            Shadow's laugher boomed again.

            "With this much power…I am a god…"

            Below Shadow, in the chasm, Derek could see a deep red portal, swirling and mixing with the walls of the Great Unknown. It was the Void, but it seemed different from the images he was shown back at Echidnapolis. Was it reacting to Shadow's power? Was it…afraid?

            "Behold. Mobius' wound," Shadow stated.

            Derek fell to his knees. "Shadow…"

            "Derek! You've gotta stop him!" Sonic shouted.

            "Sonic…sorry…I…"

            Sonic growled, and charged at Shadow, hoping to knock him down, and take one of the Emeralds away from him. Leaping into the air, he almost reached Shadow, but hit something that felt like a solid wall. A barrier that outstretched about five feet away from Shadow in all directions.

            And then, the barrier bounced him back, hard.

            Sonic hit the ground and slid about twenty feet, coming to rest right at Bane's feet.

            "Sonic!" Bane crouched over his brother. "Sonic…say something…"

            Sonic gave a weak smile, and shook the cobwebs out of his head. "…Ouch."

            Bane smiled back. "Heh…thought you were a goner for a second there."

            Knuckles looked at the barrier, and then at his own fists. "I wonder if I can break it," he said. Charging, giving out some kind of primal Echidnan battle cry, he leapt into the air, and swung his fist into the barrier as hard as he could. His fist, his supernatural strength, dented the barrier in, before it bounced back, sending Knuckles into the ground as well.

            It was a moment of absolute torture for Derek. He knew what he had to do…he knew what would happen if he did it. He was beginning to choke, not wanting to proceed, not wanting to quit. He was stalled in the middle of it all…and he swallowed hard.

            He knew what he had to do.

            _Thou art at a crossroads…_

            Derek stood, and looked at Sonic with a solemn, yet firm look on his face.

            "Sonic…I'm sorry."

            "Derek…?"

            The human whirled back around and ran as fast as he could toward the floating Shadow. Holding his arms open wide, he could see the barrier approaching fast. Everyone winced as he got closer and closer, knowing what would happen.

            But the barrier…shattered.

            Finally reaching his destination, Derek grasped on to Shadow, hugging his friend dearly.

-----

            "Shadow…" Derek said, tears in his eyes.

            "What…what are you doing?! Derek!" Shadow complained.

            "No…don't fight it. I'm here for you…I've always been here for you. You just got so consumed by this power that…you couldn't see me anymore."

            "Derek…" Shadow growled.

            "But I'm not letting go this time, Shadow! I'm not letting go until the Shadow I know and care about shows his smiling face again!"

            Derek hugged tighter, and Shadow's eyes flashed a look of…realization.

            "D…Derek…?" He said, his voice once again normal.

            "Shadow? Shadow, it's you!" Derek said, the two hugging even tighter.

            "Derek…I'm so sorry…I…I got carried away. I should've just listened to you, instead of the ideas the Emeralds were feeding me. I…can you ever…"

            "Shh…" Derek said, resting his head on Shadow's golden white shoulder. "I…just want to stay here…just a bit longer."

            Sonic, Bane, and Knuckles all watched as the golden color of Shadow's fur began to revert slowly back into its black and red hues. The color seemed to be flowing into Derek's body, as if he were absorbing it somehow.

            Soon, Shadow was back to normal, and it was now Derek who was keeping the two afloat above the Void.

            "Shadow…you let me out of that capsule when Robotropolis shut down…"

            "Yeah…I wanted to see you again, but…I was scared. I got all tough in the past sixty years or so…and…well…I didn't want to turn all soft. So I let you out and…I was just so happy, but I didn't want to stay."

            "I understand. Thank you, Shadow. If it weren't for you…I might've never seen you again, or met Sonic, for that matter."

            Shadow turned his head at the azure hedgehog. "He must be quite a person for you to treat him like you're treating me."

            "He…was there for me. He gave up a lot to go with me, and I…have to thank him for that. You and Sonic…you're not all that different, at heart."

            "I…I guess not. But you want to know something?" Shadow asked.

            "Hmm?"

            "You're the strongest out of all of us."

            Derek chuckled, and shook his head.

            "Nope…I'm just human, that's all."

            Tears began to roll down Derek's cheek once again, as he looked into Shadow's red eyes.

            "What's wrong, Derek?"

            Derek nodded. "Nothing, everything's all right…I think I can let you go now," he said.

            And with that, Derek spun around and tossed Shadow gently down to the cliff's edge that the others were standing upon.

            "Derek! What are you doing?!" Sonic shouted.

            The human gave a modest, omniscient smile.

            "The only thing I can do."

            The four watched on.

            "Chaos Emeralds! I command you, with the power I was granted!"

            _Thy Existence…_

            "Disperse the energies you have collected! Your need to destroy this world is no longer wanted here!"

            Raising his hands high, all the energy Derek had collected from Shadow seemed to disperse, like a tidal wave. The Chaos Emeralds streaked off into the sky, appearing like seven comets of multi-colored light.

            And Derek appeared normal again. Human…powerless.

            Falling.

            "Derek!!!!" Shadow and Sonic shouted at the same time.

            The two dashed for the edge of the cliff, but it was too late. Derek was falling into the Void…and it couldn't be stopped now.

            "Derek!" Sonic shouted. "Why?!"

            _Because it was the only thing I could do, Sonic. Don't worry…the Void is a space-time anomaly…I'll still exist…somewhere…sometime…_

            "Derek?! DEREK!!!!" Shadow pleaded.

            _Shadow…we'll meet again. Who knows? Maybe it'll be soon, maybe later…maybe we won't even know if you are you, and I am me…but we'll meet again. I know it, as an Emulator of the Master Emerald…_

            Shadow began to slam his fist into the ground, his eyes filling with long lost tears. "Dammit…not again…I lost you again…it was my fault. It was all my fault!"

            Bane walked over to the stunned Sonic, who didn't have a look of sadness…it was more like shock. The two brothers hugged, and the emotion finally took over, as Sonic buried his head into Bane's crimson trench coat, sobbing uncontrollably.

            …And neither of the two brothers noticed the one who jumped in.

=======================================

"You're falling out…

I'm falling in…

So it's goodbye again…

It's way past time,

For one last try,

So it's goodbye again…

Goodbye…

Goodbye…

Goodbye again!

                        --Vertical Horizon, "Goodbye Again"

=======================================


	12. Somewhere, Sometime

"Shyfted Existence"

Epilogue: "_Somewhere…Sometime…_"

By Bane Keldare

=========================================

"Call me close once again…

Call me teacher, call me friend,

Just like the first time.

Call my name,

It echoes in the walls around this room…

It's all you…

And I don't know if you hear me there,

But when it's darkest and no one cares…

I will hear you…

Forever…"

                        --Vertical Horizon, "Forever"

==========================================

            _This is probably the last email I'll be able to send you guys for awhile, so I figured I'd take some time writing it._

_            I already took plenty of time writing down what the hell happened while I was gone…and I'm sorry I left you guys alone for so long. It's just that…Derek needed my help. I know that if I hadn't stopped everything to help him…well…none of us would be here right now. The man saved the world, you know._

_            But…ever since he fell into the Void…I've been running._

_            It's been well over two months…and I have no idea where he is. I don't want to think of him as existing in another time…a time apart from the present…my present day Mobius. If that's true…I'll never see him again._

_            And I'm going to see him again._

            No no, you guys don't understand. I will see him again. I'll do whatever it takes, I'll go as far as I have to. I'll find him.

            I'll keep running.

-----

            "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you guys out, but since Mecha's disappeared, I'm sure Snively won't be giving you so much trouble. Sorry, Uncle Chuck…I love you. …Sonic," Sir Charles read the end of the letter.

            "Uncle Chuck…where's Sonic going?" Sally asked.

            Chuck nodded. "He's looking for Derek. Wouldn't you? Didn't you read what happened since they left here?"

            Sally nodded. "Yes…it's quite incredible. Derek saved Mobius…for that he deserves the most profound thanks."

            A small tear ran down her face, as Chuck's robotic hand rested on her shoulder.

            "Perhaps…a memorial will do nicely," he suggested.

-----

            The wind whistled across the sea of grass, as a lone figure sat on a large rock, overlooking the vast plains.

            Wearing a green and white tunic, with a hood over his head, he gazed up at the sun, letting the hood guard his eyes. Old words spoken still haunted him, but they no longer _daunted_ him, and that's all that mattered.

            He looked down at his red and white sneakers, and felt the need to run burning in his veins.

            "Derek…I'm going to find you. I'll do whatever I have to do, but I'll find you."

            And with that, Sonic the Hedgehog hopped off the rock, and sped off, leaving a flutter of grass blades in his wake.

****

            It was raining hard, and the huge city appeared so unforgiving. Lightning flashed in between clouds, followed by deafening claps of thunder. Traffic was at a minimal…nobody would want to be out in this storm.

            Two lone figures, wearing long, hooded trench coats stepped out into the city square, and watched the rain crash into the ground, both of them taking solace in the noise. It was silent, but it was cacophonous at the same time.

            "Do you…really think we're in the right place?" One of the figures asked.

            "I don't know," said the other one.

            Lightning flashed again, and a loud crack could be heard from the distance, then the entire square lost power.

            "Where are we?" The other asked.

            The lightning flashed again, and the first figure caught a glimpse at a small name. A location.

            "It said…Station Square."

            "Station Square, huh? Hmm…doesn't give us much to go on."

            They walked out into the center of the square, and looked at each other. The first figure shot his hands out to the sides, holding two small blades.

            Katars.

            "Wherever we are…I'm glad you're with me," the first figure said.

            The other raised his gloved hand, spikes set at the knuckles. "…Don't worry. I don't think I'll be leaving you anytime soon."

            "Thanks," The first one said, walking across the square, holding his katars out to the side.

            The other followed behind him and to the side, clenching his fists as he did so.

            "That's what a Guardian's for…" he said.

**_The End._**


End file.
